Lahore: Pakistani police on September 7 arrested leaders of five Islamic Opposition parties for allegedly violating restrictions on campaigning before next month's elections.

Party chiefs described the arrests as another blow to Democracy before the October 10 Parliamentary elections, which will be the first since Army chief Pervez Musharraf, seized power in October 1999.

Some 14 central and provincial leaders of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of six religious parties, were detained at the railway station in the Eastern city of Lahore, police said.

"We have arrested some 14 leaders after they violated a ban on political gatherings at railway stations," city police chief Javed Noor said.

Police cordoned off the station and arrested the leaders as they arrived to board a train for an 800-km campaign journey to Sukkur in Southern Sindh province.

Around 20 supporters shouted anti-government slogans before police swooped on them.

Officials last month relaxed a ban on most public political activities but rallies and processions still need permission. Campaign journeys known as "train marches" are legal but rallies at stations are banned.

Police detained leaders of five parties, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Allama Sajid Naqvi and Maulana Samiul Haq, nine provincial leaders and 16 workers.

"They have been booked for violating Section 144, under which no gathering of more than five people is allowed around railway stations," Noor said.

At Multan and Khanewal in Punjab province, police blocked roads to the stations to stop MMA supporters from hearing speeches by party leaders. Last week MMA leaders undertook a campaign train journey from Rawalpindi to Lahore but no action was taken.

The parties making up MMA are Jamaat-i-Islami, two factions of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, Ahle-Hadith and a Shiite party. One party leader did not attend the station gathering in Lahore.

"This is a fascist act by a dictator," said Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, speaking from a police station by mobile phone.

"We will continue to struggle for the restoration of Democracy," said Qazi Hussain Ahmed, leader of Jamaat-i-Islami, who was interviewed similarly. The main challenge to pro-government parties will come from the 15-party Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD).