ISLAMABAD, 3 April 2005 — The daily life in some cities of Pakistan was affected yesterday by the strike call given by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). Shopping malls remained closed and traffic levels were down in response to the MMA’s strike called to protest against President Pervez Musharraf’s policies and rising inflation.
However a government minister said the appeal had failed to resonate among the population. “People did not respond positively to the strike call by so-called religious figures because markets are open and traffic is normal,” said Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
Hundreds of protesters were detained by the police to maintain law and order. Police in the eastern city of Lahore said they fired tear gas and used batons to disperse a group of activists who hurled stones at shops to try to force them to shut and observe the strike.
Several protesters received minor injuries in clashes with police in Leiah, a town in the central province of Punjab.
The MMA said thousands of its workers had been taken into custody in different parts of the country.
“Police have arrested more than 3,000 workers of MMA,” the alliance’s head, Qazi Hussain Ahmed said.
Reports from Lahore, said police raided the headquarters of a religious group, Jamaat-e-Isalmi (JI), near the city and arrested several activists. Police also fired teargas canisters at protesters.
“We are thankful to people of Pakistan who supported our call of strike and they registered their protest against military dictator (Musharraf),” Hussain Ahmed. The MMA described its protest as successful but witnesses said the strike was partial in most places.
Sheikh Rashid insisted the strike had failed and “business remained as usual” in the country.
In the port city of Karachi and some other big cities such as Peshawar and Quetta, some shops were shut and traffic was light in the early morning, but most business operated as normal.
Police arrested 250 workers of MMA including four Islamist MPs in Karachi, city police chief Tariq Jamil said.
“The MPs have been detained for 30-days under Maintenance of Public Order while others were arrested as part of preventive measures,” he said.
However, there was no report of any violence from any part of the city, Jamil said.
“People have given their mandate against the government,” said MMA leader Ghafoor Ahmed.
Thousands of people have attended the alliance’s recent protest marches against the pro-US policies of Musharraf, a key ally of Washington in what it calls the war against terrorism. Protesters are also opposed to Musharraff’s dual position as president and the army chief.
The MMA has been holding anti-Musharraf rallies since December, when the president refused to stop wearing his military uniform despite a promise to do so by the end of 2004 after Islamists supported him as a president in Parliament and validated his amendments in the country’s constitution under a deal.
The MMA has announced plans for a regular anti-government rallies but these have failed so far to generate mass support.
