LAHORE, Nov 07: Large contingent of Police in uniform and plain clothes besieged Mansoorah on Wednesday, closing the main gate and the Hospital gate by putting up barricades, besides harassing and creating problems for the residents and visitors.

The worst affected are the patients and the attendants of those admitted in the Mansoorah hospital besides the people from adjoining areas coming to offer prayers in Mansoorah mosque. About 300 police personnel with two buses, four squad pick ups and jeeps are guarding the place with barricades outside the gates and closing down one track of the Multan road. The policemen generally disallow those entering or leaving the place. However when they allow someone they investigate about one's identity, whereabouts and connections with the JI. Even the children going to school and returning there were being harassed and detained which alarmed the parents.

The policemen on guard manhandled journalists when they visited the place to attend the press conference of JI leaders Hafiz Salman Butt and Amirul Azim. The DSP incharge said he had orders not to allow any journalist inside. However, when it was learnt that Hafiz Salman Butt and Ameerul Azim addressed the press conference and left the place through some back gate, the policemen got infuriated and harassed the journalists away by charging forward with batons striking at their shields to scare them away. (#)


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