OKARA, April 9: The Punjab Home Department’s permission for conversion of a local cinema house into a theatre hall has invited the wrath of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s district leaders here.

The MMA president and Jamaat-i-Islami’s district chief said on Saturday they would not allow this conversion.

It is learnt that some Sahiwal-based party has got the permission for conversion of the centrally-located Venus Cinema into a theatre hall from the Punjab Home Department, which has annoyed the local leadership of the religious alliance.

An MMA delegation, led by its district president Capt Dr Liaqat Ali Kusar (retired) and JI district Ameer Azhar Mehmood, called on District Nazim Syed Sajjad Haider, and expressed concern over the ‘issue’.

According to Dr Kusar, the Nazim assured the delegation that the district government would communicate its protest to the Punjab chief minister over the issuance of the permission by the Home department, as both the DCO and DPO had furnished reports against the conversion.

Sources say the party concerned has started renovation of the hall after getting a temporary (six-month) permission from the Home department.

Local leaders of religious parties, including JUI-F Naib Ameer Syed Amir Husain Gillani and Shahzad Anjum Ansari, have protested over the permission. The leaders have also condemned the marathon races of women in the province.