LAHORE, Nov 6: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (Noorani) and the Jamaat-i-Islami on Tuesday reiterated their call for a peaceful wheel-jam strike on Nov 9. They urged people to take all measures to ensure its success.

Talking to workers at JUP’s Punjab office, Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani said they should spare no efforts in this regard. He said nothing should be damaged since “everything in the country belongs to us. We will have nothing to do with those resorting to violence.”

Maulana Noorani said the US war against Afghanistan was not against terrorism. It was against Islam. He said the US was trapped in Afghanistan.

He said the workers should tolerate no US soldier on Pakistani soil but must protect the life and property of all fellow citizens, including the minorities.

He said Islam was a religion of peace and rejected all sorts of terrorism. The Ummat, he said, must unite against the atrocities being perpetrated against Muslims, especially in Palestine, Kashmir, Iraq, Chechnya and Kosovo.

JI’s Punjab general secretary Azhar Iqbal Hasan said giving a free hand to the police would provoke political workers. The responsibility for any disturbance, he said, would rest with the government. He also said peaceful protest was a constitutional right of the people and denying it would lead to lawlessness in the country.

He urged those transporting vegetables, fruits and milk to also observe the strike. He asked the people to store essential commodities and avoid travelling on Nov 9.