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Thousands held: Pakistan Opposition

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Opposition parties claimed hundreds of their activists were arrested in a police crackdown in the Punjab province on Tuesday, while the Government was said to be considering action against journalists who participated in a rally to protest a new ordinance aimed at restricting television coverage of the ongoing political crisis in the country.

"They have been raiding homes of our activists since last night. They have arrested many, many people, we are trying to ascertain how many exactly, but we are getting information that it could be nearly a thousand," said Siddiqul Farooq, a spokesman for the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).

Active party workers at local levels who mobilised people for protest rallies over the last three months have been singled out for the crackdown, Mr Farooq said.

The arrests were aimed at preventing party workers from turning out for the suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary's planned June 16 visit to Faisalabad, Mr Farooq said.

The PML(N) was in the forefront of Mr. Chaudhary's 25-hour marathon journey from Islamabad to Lahore. "The Government is feeling threatened by the public response to the Chief Justice," he said.

Mr. Farooq said those arrested were from places all along the highway to Faisalabad, from Lahore, Kasur, Hafizabad, Okara, Multan, Haroonabad and Sialkot.

The Pakistan People's Party said "a large number" of its activists were also arrested across the province.

"We cannot say how many just yet, but we received information that people have been picked up from their homes right through the morning," said Farahtullah Babar, spokesman for the Pakistan People's Party.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said "some people" were arrested as "a preventive measure" by the Punjab Government, but said he had no other information.

The arrests began a few hours after President Pervez Musharraf issued a new ordinance to regulate television broadcasts, apparently aimed at restricting coverage of the intensifying protests against the suspension of Mr. Chaudhary.

The police have also reportedly registered an FIR against 200-250 participants in a rally by journalists to protest the new media curbs.

Under the new ordinance, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority can unilaterally confiscate equipment of broadcasters and seal the premises without first consulting a designated "council of complaints".

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