LAHORE, May 27: Police on Friday made tight security arrangements to guard MMA’s protest demonstrations and avoid any eventuality in view of the Islamabad bomb attack. Heavy police contingents, taken to city roads since morning, were joined by more patrol and deployments before Friday prayers.

The policemen escorted an MMA rally and hundreds of worshippers at Masjid-i-Shuhada. Shopkeepers also closed their businesses as a token strike from 1pm to 4pm.

Later, MMA activists joined a similar protest demonstration near Simla Hill. More religious activists, who came there on buses and vans, joined the rally there and marched around the Simla Hill. The police in groups of five to 10 remained deployed enroute the rally.

Link roads to The Mall and other venues were also barricaded while the police force along with the traffic police diverted the motorists. People faced lots of hardships, especially around the Simla Hill venue, which remained blocked for all kind of traffic for about five hours. The long hours of blockade also caused traffic jams on other roads.—Staff Reporter