LAHORE, Nov 5: A handful of frustrated elements are engaged in damaging national property in the garb of protests to strengthen the enemies of Islam and Pakistan.

This was stated by Punjab health minister Prof Mahmood Ahmed in a statement here on Monday.

Commenting on the call given by some religious and political parties for a nationwide wheeljam strike for Friday, he said certain frustrated elements had given the call to draw political mileage by provoking the religious sentiments of the public.

He said the government would deal such elements with an iron hand.

He said every Pakistani was concerned over the miseries of the Afghan people and the Pakistan government was taking every possible measure to lessen them.

He said that a President Relief Fund had also been set up to rehabilitate the Afghan refugees.

He said the wheeljam strikes and protests would only paralyse the economy of the country, worsening the economic crisis. He said the government would not allow anyone to play with the religious sentiments of the innocent people and damage the economy.