Complete strike in Lahore

On the call of combined opposition, complete shutter down strike was observed in the provincial metropolis on Friday, to protest the publication of blasphemous caricatures in some Western newspapers, while public transport also remained off the road.
All the bazaars, markets, shopping plazas, including Shahalam Market, McLoad Road, Hall Road, Mall Road, Queens Road, Abid Market, Jail Road, Ichhra, Ferozepur Road, Bedon Road, Abbot Road, Rang Mahal, Azam Cloth Market, Suha Bazar, Sarafa Bazar, Paper Market, Currency Market, Akbari Mandi, Chemical Market, Ravi Road, Naulakha Bazaar, Lunda Bazaar, Garhi Shahu, Circular Road, Badami Bagh, Walton Road, Chowk Yatim Khana Bazaar, Samanabad, Liberty Market, Main Market, Firdous Market, Cavalry Ground Market, Mini Market Gulberg, Shadman Market, Barkat Market, Moon Market and Gulshan Ravi remained closed throughout the day.
For the first time, the petrol pumps, CNG stations also remained closed. However, a few pharmacies in front of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Mayo Hospital, and Lahore General Hospital remained opened.
Since early in the morning, no public transport was available due to which attendance in government, semi government and private offices remained considerably thin while private schools, colleges and other educational institutions also remained closed. In anticipation of non-availability of public transport, majority of the people remained inside their houses.
To deal with any eventuality, the district administration has deployed heavy contingents of Pakistan Rangers, Police and Punjab Constabulary at every market, chowk and important places including missionary schools like Cathedral, Convent and Sacred Heart. The strike remained peaceful and no untoward incident took place anywhere in the city.
Police took four people into custody when they started protest on Mall Road and raised slogans after Juma prayers at Masjid-e-Shuhda while some people protested against the cartoon within the premises of mosque at Lawrence Road. Similarly, protest was held in front of Mansoora, which remained peaceful. Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, Farid Piracha, Hafiz Idrees, Hafiz Salman Butt and other Jamaat-i-Islami leaders led the protestors.
Moreover, MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmad, told newsmen that American President George W. Bush ongoing visit to South Asia is with specific agenda and he was coming to Pakistan for the accomplishment of this agenda. Bush wants to give India a status of mini nuclear super power so that a circle could be established around China.
However, Pakistan would gain nothing out of Bush visit to Pakistan except protection to General Pervez Musharraf's uniform and 'insignificant financial assistance', he added. We would use black strips and black flags on the arrival of Bush and would also observe Saturday as Black Day, he maintained.
To a question about solution of Kashmir issue, Qazi said that America wants Line of Control (LoC) as permanent border between India and Pakistan so that former could continue her occupation on Jammu and Kashmir. He warned that we would never accept neither Bush nor Musharraf's plan on Kashmir issue.
He urged the United Nation to provide protection to the religions including Islam through making effective laws against blasphemy. Not only Danish newspaper, but newspapers of 22 countries including US have got published blasphemous caricatures in January, 2006. The European countries as well as US want to penetrate Western civilisation into Pakistan so that people could not be able to express their concerns over the blasphemous issues but we would strongly resist such attempts, he added. Similarly, US want division of Pakistani population on ethnic, sectarian and regional basis.
Qazi urged the people to boycott Danish products and continue to raise strong voice against blasphemous caricatures so that nobody could dare it in future.
Meanwhile, Hafiz Hussain Ahmad told newsmen after a meeting with MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmad that the government has invited the Leader of Opposition Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PPPP chief Makhdoom Amin Fahim and PML (N) Chairman Raja Zafar ul Haq for dinner reception in honour of Bush but all of them have refused to attend the reception. He demanded of the Speaker National Assembly to issue production orders of Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Khawaja Saad Rafiq so that they could take part in the Senate elections. If these leaders were not allowed to contest their votes, the Senate elections would become controversial.