MULTAN, June 2nd: Mutahidda Shehri Mahaz took out a procession and held a demonstration in Timber Market on Wednesday condemning the Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Monday, killing up to 19 pro-Palestinian activists.The rally led by MSM President Tariq Neem-ullah Khan started from the Vehari road and after passing through nearby streets, congregated in a protest demonstration in Timber Market. The protestors carried placards and banners inscribed with their demands, and chanted anti-Israel and anti-US slogans, condemning the countries for “their cruelty against innocent Palestinians”. Addressing the protestors, the leaders of the MSM said Israel and US were committing genocide of the innocent people of Palestine, and the anti-Islam forces have joined hands to unleash cruelty against Muslims. They also criticised the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU) and Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) for their silence. The leaders appealed to the world and the UN Security Council to find a permanent solution to the Palestine-Israel dispute.

MULTAN,June Ist: Various political and religious parties and organisations Tuesday held rallies in Multan to register their protest against the barbaric Israeli attack on the flotilla carrying aid to Gaza Strip, which claimed 20 innocent lives.Expressing their anger over the adamant attitude shown by the Zionist state, the hundreds of protesters urged the govt to come out open and use diplomatic channels and international bodies, like UN and OIC, to present the case of Palestinian Muslims.
Tehrik-i-Insaf organised a rally attended by 100 people and demonstrated in front of Multan Press Club to protest against the Israeli attack.Addressing a rally Tehrik-i-Insaf Leaders said the humanity lovers all from around the globe were shocked by the attack, adding that no peace was possible in the world due to the Israel’s existence.They said those travelling in the flotilla were neither mullahs nor terrorists but peace-loving people. The expressed solidarity with the besieged Gaza people.
They condemned the apathy of the Muslim rulers, saying they were acting as the US agents.United Citizen Alliance Multan also held demonstrations in front of Multan Press Club.More than 8,000 people of legal fraternity on Tuesday observed the strike to condemn the Israel's attack on a humanitarian flotilla for the Palestinians and urged Israel to end its blockade on the Gaza Strip.President of High Court Bar Multan Shaikh Jamshed Hayat said," United States had given free hand to Israel to kill the Palestinians Now it had blocked the supply of food to Palestinians," Former Vice Chairman of Pakistan Bar Council Mian Abbas Ahmed said,"Israel's restrictions on access to Gaza must be lifted in line with Security Council Resolution 1860," The recent blockade is unacceptable and counterproductive.Mutahidda Shehri Mahaz and Local traders also staged demonstrations against the Israel and burnt its flags.

MULTAN, May 31st: Local Journalists of print as well as electronic media on Monday staged a demonstration in front of Multan press club to strongly condemn the Israeli military raid on Monday against a Gaza-bound aid boat and dubbed it as an open violation of international laws.The demo was led by Multan Press Club President Shakil Anjum, General Secretary Nisar Awan and PFUJ Secretary General Rao Shamim Asghar. Journalists shouted slogans against Israel and said that attack on aid-ship is open violation of International norms and a cruel act.Shakil Anjum said," Pakistan should contact US diplomats to know about the Pakistanis on board,"They said that entire world should condemn the Israeli aggression.

MULTAN, May 28th: Islamists organisations including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP), Jamaat Islami (JI) on Friday observed the "Protest Day" and staged demonstrations and rallies in Multan and other parts of Southern Punjab against the blasphemous sketches of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). They burnt an effigy of the cartoonist and Flags of US, Israel, Denmark and Sweden besides burning tyres to block the traffic. The rally was led by Mufti Hidayatullah Pasroori Provincial Chief of JUP,Allama Taqi Naqvi, A shia scholar, Allama Khalid Mehmood (JAH) Ahmed Mian, Hafiz Muzaffar Qureshi, Arshad Iqbal Niazi ,Prof.Akhtar, Soofi Muhammad Ramzan and Faqir Noorani. They appealed to the people not to purchase the products of such countries which were promoting the sacriligious matter in the name of freedom of expression.More than 200 students of religious institutions and a number of clerics of different sects attended the rally.Similarly Local traders and civil society members also staged a demonstration against the sacriligious cartoons/ sketches and said that no one had a right to hurt the religious sentiments of others.Sunni Tehrik also staged a demonstration to condemn the competition of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Face book.The speakers strongly condemned the blasphemous sketches, and said it was a conspiracy to ruin the soft image of Muslims and project them as religious extremists.They claimed that international powers do not want peace in Pakistan, and stressed the need of unity amongst religious leaders to counter the conspiracy against Muslims.

MULTAN,May 26th: The strike of Doctors and Para Medics entered the third day in South Punjab as a protest against the institution of murder case against two doctors of Muzaffargarh's district head Quarter Hospital who took the life of a photo-Journalist Khalid Majid .They did not provide medicare to him in the emergency ward and he died. Two patients have died due to negligence of the doctors in Muzaffargarh and one in Vehari - Poor patients had to bear the brunt of some one else’s deeds as the doctors refused to attend them and went on strike against alleged manhandling of doctors in Muzaffargarh by MNA Jamshed Dasti and his accomplices. The strike call was given by Pakistan Medical Association and doctors as well as paramedical staff of Nishtar Hospital, Children Complex, Multan Institute of Cardiology and other health facilities went on strike. The medics staged protest outside Nishtar Hospital, Cardiology Institute and Dental College and blocked Abdali Road by burning tyres on the road. The doctors of Muzaffargarh Hospital were allegedly thrashed by an angry mob that gathered to protest the death of a Press photographer, who allegedly died due to the negligence of the doctors. The doctors pelted stones on the protesters on which the mob forced its entry into the hospital and subjected two doctors to torture. In Multan, the patients and their relatives had to face serious inconvenience as the doctors even refused to attend emergency cases. Resultantly, many patients were seen fighting for their lives. ‘It’s a criminal act. According to law, the doctors are bound to attend the patients under all circumstances. They’ve turned political,’ said an attendant of a patient Ramzan Sheikh, who was stranded at lawns of Nishtar Hospital along with the patient. He demanded of the govt to take notice of doctors political activities.
On the other side, doctors held protest meetings and strongly condemned MNA’s act. Speaking on this occasion, Dr Shahid Rao, Dr. Muhammad Ali and other representatives of medics said that the MNA committed open terrorism and therefore a case should be registered against him under terrorism act. They demanded arrest of the MNA. ‘If he is not arrested, we’ll continue our strike,’ they threatened, adding that no doctor would return to his duty.

MULTAN,April 7th:Shopkeepers and traders of Southern Punjab on Wednesday announced to observe strike from April 14 as a protest against long duration of load-shedding, high power tariff, fuel adjustment charges and levy of proposed Value added tax (VAT). Addressing a joint press conference here on Wednesday Khawaja Suleman Siddiqui Central president of Markazi Anjuman Tajiran South Punjab, M.Akhtar Butt, President of Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association, Shaikh Muhammad Akram, Arif Fasih-ullah, Shaikh Tariq Hussain, Shaikh Javed Akhtar, Sh.Ikram Shehzad, Dr.Manzoor-ul-Haq and Shaikh Muhammad Akram Hakim said ,"we would wait for withdrawal of VAT,power tariff, and load-shedding till April 13 and we would not accept any offer of negotiations and we would go on strike from April 14," They said that southern Punjab produces 65 percent of cotton, 45 percent of wheat,70 percent mangoes and it was earning billions of dollars by exporting trextile items, fresh vegetables and fruits but its income was not utilised in this area and Southern Punjab was left backwarded by the rulers.They said that there was no water for irrigation of land, no electricity to run our tubewells,rates of high speed diesel were beyond the reach of common farmers. The traders,however, congratulated president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on the approval of 18th constitutional amendment and said that now doors of power corridores have shut for the adventurists and dictators forever and Prime Minister had emerged as a strongest premier.They reiterated their demands for constitution of a federating unit of Seraikistan to end the sense of deprivation developed among the people of the area during last 60 years.They said that Punjab Chief Minister had announced to declare Multan as big city and granting big city allowance to Government, semi Government employees but people are still awaiting for the notification.

MULTAN,March 19th: Hundreds of activists of civil society on friday organised a big rally and staged a demonstration in front of Multan Press club as a protest against the allotment of state land to outsiders, auctioning of rest houses and other assets. The demo was led by Muzaffar Hussain Khan Magassi Chief of Seraiki Inqilabi Council, Maj(Retd) Mujeeb Ahmed Khan (Tehrik-i-Insaf) Malik Ashfaq Metla, Javed Amber, Dr.Farooq Khan Langah, Rana Abdul Majid Noon, Ghulam Abbas Sahu, Mian Amir Nawaz Khudai,Mian Erum Shehzad Khudai..They shouted slogans against the government. Talking to newsmen here Muzaffar khan magassi said that millions of acres of land was distributed among the ex-servicemen, players, artists and other people of privileged class.Even land confiscated under land reform was also distributed among the non-locals who were neither farmers nor have any know how about the cultivation.He said that locals are still shelterless and jobless.He said that Oil reinery, Thermal power plants, Fertilizers Factories, Chemical factories were established in Seraiki zone and there were spreading diseases and death among them while jobs were not available for them in these units.

MULTAN, Jan 21st: " Mr. Finance Minister what do you do if Dr.Arifa Siddiqui were your sister," asked a female staudent of Islamic Studies department of Bahauddin Zakariya University when he came out of Seminar hall on Wednesday. This question puzzled the minister and he abruptly replied ," I can't disclose it what are we doing for her release," Foreign Minister said that Government was using its offices to get her released and legal as well as financial help was being done to her and her family.On her second question,the foreign minister replied I can't say when she would be released however we are trying to get her free and we had paid Rs. 2 million to her family.

MULTAN, Jan 16th: Complete shutter down will be observed on January 20 as a protest against the 12 percent increase in power tariff, 18 percent in Gas price,introduction of mini budgets every month, and unannounced load shedding and those who were opposing the strike were in fact the agents of the administration and the Government and they are not loyal to the business community, stated Khawaja Muhammad Shafiq and Muhammad Khalid Qureshi while talking to newsmen at the token hunger strike camp at chowk old Sabzi- Mandi .They threatened to launch a civil disobedience drive if their demands were not met. Traders also wore black armbands and displayed the banners inscribed with their demands. They also burnt their electricity bills.They observed three hours token hunger strike from 1100 to 0200. Khawaja Muhammad Shafiq, Khalid Mehmood Qureshi, Jafar Ali Shah, Salim Awan, Aziz-ur-rehman,Shaikh Muhammad Ayyub ,Mirza Asghar Ali, Shaikh Rafiq Ahmed and Iqbal Mubeen also joined the hunger strikers.Traders ofCantonment headed by Malik Nazir Ahmed Awan, Multan Tajir Ittehad and Markazi Anjumn Tajiran have announced to boycott tyhe strike call by some vested interests and said that their business would remain open on Jan 20 because traders community and the country cannot afford the agitation and strikes. However traders have been divided into two groups on the issue of shutter down on Jan 20.Pro Pakistan Muslim League traders are supporting those who had given the shutter down call while Pro-PPP were opposing it.

MULTAN,Jan 15th:Pharmacists of Multan on friday staged a demonstration in front of Multan press club and burnt thir overalls as a protest against joblessness and fixation of their pay at Rs.25,000. They shouted slogans in favour of their demands and against their bureaucracy which is main hurdle in their job.The demo was led by Rauf Akram, Waqar Ahmed, A.D.Tahir, Zeeshan Mazhar,Tabish Ijaz, Ibrahim Chaudhry.They demanded provision of opportunities to pharmacists to play their rule according to international standard.They said that Government should ensure the presence of pharmacists in all the big or small hospitals , minimum salary be fixed at Rs.25,000 for the pharmacists, Punjab Drug rules 2007 be implemented immediately, All vacancies of drug inspectors, Hospital pharmacists, clinical pharmacists and drug laboratories, veterinary hospitals be replenished forthwith , Families of pharmacists should be entitled for medical treatment. quackery be ended, pharmacists be inducted in Population welfare programme and Pharmacists should also be appointed at rural health centres.