OKARA, Feb 12: Participants in a rally jointly taken out here on Sunday by religious parties and traders’ bodies turned violent and damaged four cinema houses, besides pillaging two petrol pumps.

Reports said the rally was organized by MMA, JUP, JUI(F) Sunni Tehrik, Mustafai Tehrik, Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Minhajul Quran, Pakistan Medical Association and Anjuman-i-Tajran to protest against blasphemous caricatures published by some European newspapers.

The protesters, who were carrying placards inscribed with slogans against the governments of the countries where the caricatures were published, demanded boycott of products made in these states. They also burnt effigies of US president and British Prime Minister Tonny Blair, besides flags of some European countries. They demanded President Gen Pervaiz Musharraf should expel the ambassadors of these countries and announce boycott of their products.

However, the protesters turned violent and hundreds of them entered the Ravi (Shell) Patrol Pump on the GT Road and took away many mobil oil gallons after damaging the filling station. Eyewitnesses said some of the protesters also started filling fuel in their bikes.

Another group of protesters entered a Caltex filling station owned by PML-N leader Zahid Mehr Toor and snatched Rs10,000 from salesmen Ajmal and Ashfaq. They also took away mobil oil gallons worth Rs100,000, the filling station owner claimed.

Some of the protesters completely damaged a billboard of Telenor company at kutchery bazaars.

Meanwhile, groups of protesters also damaged four city cinemas. They broke window panes of Sanam Cinema and destroyed some film boards at Venus Cinema. The protesters broke the gate of Palace Cinema, damaging its lobby, chairs and torn own the screen. They also set ablaze a motorcycle (OKD 6626) parked inside the cinema. They also damaged Gulistan Cinema.

A group of protesters blocked the track of Quetta-bound Jafar Express which was cleared by the authorities concerned after an hour.

A group of violent youngsters entered the Qari Colony and Sindhu Colony and damaged some grocery shops in the streets and damaged a PCO.

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters kept the GT Road blocked for many hours, causing a traffic jam.

Police controlled the violence after about four hours.

ARRESTS: City police arrested 23 alleged miscreants for their involvement in the violence. They included Muhammad Sultan Rahi, Hasan Ali, Khurram Ghulam Abbas, Azeem Abbas, Abdul Ghafoor, Muhammad Ommair, Nasir Iqbal, Asif, Muhammad Arif, Muhammad Zaman, Muhammad Ikram, Ramzan, Muhammad Saleem, Muhammad Amjad, Osman, Mukarram, Zeeshan, Amir Yousaf, Bilal, Zikriya, Humayun Khalid and Nisar.

However, the police have yet not registered a case.