ISLAMABAD, March 10: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Thursday gave a country-wide general strike call for April 2 to protest against the new wave of rise in prices of items of daily use because of the heavy increase in petroleum product prices.

MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmed had said in a press conference last week that the religious alliance under pressure from the public would give a strike call against the new wave of price hike in the country.

A resolution giving the strike call was passed at a consultative seminar organized by the MMA and attended by leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-N and Pakistan Tehrik Insaaf (PTI) and representatives of traders and transporters.

The gathering was addressed by Qazi Hussain Ahmed, PTI chief Imran Khan, PML(N) Punjab President Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Liaquat Baloch, Sahibzada Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair, Akbar S. Babar, Qazi Muhammad Ilyas and Fazal Khan.

Dr. Farid Paracha read out the resolution which was unanimously passed by the audience.

Mr Ahmed said that the people of Pakistan were fed up with President Gen Musharraf’s economic and political policies and they were determined to oust him from power by launching a country-wide movement.

He said all opposition political parties and alliances have agreed on three objectives vis a vis ousting President Gen Musharraf from both the COAS and president’s office, restoration of the 1973 constitution as it was on October 12, 1999, and permanent removal of the army from power politics.

He said the whole nation was behind the strike call given by the MMA and would be joined by all political parties and stake-holders, including traders, businessmen and transporters.

He said the people would express their hatred through a wheel-jam shutter-down strike against President Gen Musharraf’s befooling the nation by going back on all his promises, including shedding his uniform by December 31, 2004.

Saad Rafiq of the PML(N) assured the participants that Lahore would be completely closed with no vehicle plying on the roads and that his party would lead from the front in driving the last nail in the ruler’s coffin.

He said the people of Pakistan were convinced that President Gen Musharraf and Pakistan could not go together and, hence, they would demonstrate their will on April 2.

He further stated that Qazi Hussain Ahmed would soon discuss with his party leader, Nawaz Sharif, to make the strike call more effective.

Imran Khan said the cruel system of taxation, corruption and illegal transfer of wealth from the poor to the wealthier had created a price hike in the country which could not be controlled unless the system was overhauled and changed.

He announced fully supporting the strike call saying that his party would make sure that a strong message was conveyed to the military junta through all towns and villages.