Sunday, April 3 2005 09:40 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: A nationwide general strike called by hardline Islamic parties to oppose President Pervez Musharraf's rule shut down parts of Pakistan disrupting normal life, a day after police rounded up hundreds of their activists.

The six-party Islamic alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) called the nationwide 'shutter down and wheel jam' strike to express its Opposition to Musharraf's continuation as the President and the Chief of Army as well as to highlight the growing price hike.

Reports from North West Frontier Province (NWFP), ruled by the MMA, said life was paralysed in the province, while most of the business centres were closed and traffic was off the road in southwest Baluchistan province, which witnessed violence in recent months with nationalist parties there opposing the construction of Army cantonments and demanding more autonomy to the State.

Business and transport services were disrupted in Peshawar, the capital of the NWFP. Many markets in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, were shut, and the people faced problems in finding transport to go to offices and educational institutions, reports reaching here said.

The strike also got mixed response in the port city of Karachi where some parts were closed down while shops were opened in some localities. Traffic was also thin in the city and the attendance in Government offices as well as educational institutions was affected.

The Government has already threatened to try anyone indulging in violence by the anti-terrorism courts.