LAHORE, Jan 9: The Jamaat-i-Islami has appealed to the government to cancel Basant celebrations this year for mourning tsunami victims. Speaking at a press conference here on Sunday , Lahore chief Hafiz Salman Butt said that the whole world had cancelled new year festivities to show solidarity with tsunami-hit countries and Pakistan should follow the suit.

He said the Jamaat had set up relief camps in the city where people could deposit clothes, grain and cash for the affected people. According to him, the party had already sent a medical team and medicines along with US$25,000 in cash to Indonesia.

The Jamaat workers would distribute pamphlets in the city on Friday to appeal to the citizens for donating generously for their brethren. He urged the government that if the president or the prime minister could not visit the affected areas due to any problem then they should at least send a high level team to show solidarity with the people there.