SAHIWAL, May 23: All efforts by the government to create a dissident group in the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal have ended in smoke.

This was claimed by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) Naib amir Maulana Amir Hussain Gilani and Punjab MMA president Hafiz Muhammad Idrees while talking to newsmen here on Friday.

They said the MMA was not ready to accept Gen Pervez Musharraf as president in uniform.

SUSPENDED: Haroonabad, Donga Bonga, Faqirwali and Fortabbas have been without electricity for the last 16 hours due to high velocity windstorm that collapsed the 166KV line tower, connecting Bahawalnagar to Haroonabad on Thursday.

This was stated by Sahiwal Circle Wapda superintending engineer here on Friday.

He said special teams were repairing the line and the power supply would soon be restored in all the affected areas.

In Haroonabad, the water was being supplied to the residents with the help of a generator, he said.

LOOTED: Four armed robbers on Friday looted Rs35,500 in cash, ornaments and wristwatches from three PML(Q) leaders on the GT Road near Chak 138/9-L.

Haji Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Ali Chauhan and Omar Hayat were coming to Sahiwal from Dera Rahim by Pajero (LRC-4386) when car riders intercepted them at pistol point. After depriving them of their belongings, the robbers disappeared by firing in the air.