MULTAN: Special prayers were offered for the prosperity and solidarity of the country in Churches and temples after Sunday services across the country on the call of Chairman of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) Shahbaz Bhatti.

Talking to The Post Naveed Amir Jeevam, MPA and Coordinator of south Punjab said they prayed for the departed souls of those who laid down their lives in Karachi blasts on October 18, for the stability, prosperity and solidarity of the country and early recovery of those who are injured in bomb blasts. He said special prayers were offered in Full Gospel Church Multan and other worship places.

PSP demands 5th federating unit: National Seraiki Conference has demanded that a fifth federating unit of Seraikistan be made to redress the grievances of 50 million Seraiki-speaking people who are living life like second grade citizens.

Addressing a meeting here at Multan Press Club Zahoor Dhareeja, Hameed Asghar Shaheen, Ashiq Khan Buzdar, Riffat Abbas, M.A. Bhutta, Asshu Lal , Muzaffar Khan Magasi and other intellectuals said that primary education should be imparted in mother language, Seraiki Adabi Board should be constituted.

They said universities, technical institutions, Agricultural University and Women University should be established in Seraiki zone. They said that bridges should be constructed on River Chenab at Head Muhammad Wala and River Indus at Kot Mithan Sharif and Jatoi, motor way be extended from Pindi Bhatian to Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan, double carriageway be constructed between Multan and Bahawalpur. They demanded that entry test for medical colleges and universities admission must be ended for Seraiki zone as it was a conspiracy against the less developed areas. They said that revenue collected from southern Punjab must be spent on its development. Seraiki Zone produces 80 percent of total cotton and 40 percent of wheat, they pointed out. In spite of that thousands of graduates, doctors, engineers, skilled person and others are jobless and people of other areas were inducted in these projects depriving the locals.

Freezing of local govt's accounts demanded: PPP Vice Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has demanded to freeze the accounts of local governments and suspension of these institutions so that they could influence the upcoming general elections to make the candidates of ruling party succeeded. Talking to newsmen here Monday he said the PPP never demanded dissolution of the local bodies instead it demanded that powers of the nazims should be suspended to make general elections free and fair so that no nazim could exploit his power to influence the election campaign. He said that in 2002 election powers of the nazims were also curtailed and the PPP was demanding the same now.

He demanded the government to release the Baloch leaders of political parties and allow them to participate in the forthcoming elections. He also demanded recovery of missing persons and thanked the Chief Justice of Pakistan for taking suo motu actions. He said a small group in the PML-Q, who wanted to contest elections with the help of the army, would not be allowed to rig the elections and the PPP would hold dialogue with the ANP, the PML-N, the MQM, the JUI and other democratic forces for pressurising the government to hold free and fair election under the neutral caretaker setup. He said that there was no difference among the PML-N, ANP, MQM and other political parties to struggle for strengthening the democratic institutions. He, however, explained that the only difference was in modalities of the parties, seeking restoration of democratic civilian rule in the country. He said a small group of the people in the ruling party, which was supporter of the religious fundamentalists, did not want peaceful transition of democracy in the country. He said that these elements knew their fate and the PPP would sweep in the elections across the country, therefore, they were worried about their political future.

The PPP leader said: "If the democracy is restored in the country the tiny group will not be able to succeed to strengthen religious fundamentalists. He said only civilian democracy would save the country from the religious extremism.