He said the MMA supreme council would meet on April 6 to review the anti-government million marches and strike and announce its future line of action, which could be "a march on Islamabad".
The MMA leader said due to faulty government policies, salaried class and low-income groups are under immense socio-economic pressure.
He alleged that police in Punjab and Sindh rounded up 1300 MMA leaders, workers, and traders and resorted to lathi charge in Lahore, Layyah and elsewhere.
He said as finance minister, Shaukat Aziz had totally failed to deliver and economic miseries of the common man had compounded in the last six years. "The people have rejected rulers and expressed their no-confidence in the government policies by backing the strike," he claimed.
He contended that there was no justification for General Pervez Musharraf to continue. "MMA's struggle for the supremacy of the Constitution and its revival would continue."
The MMA demands that petroleum prices be brought down to an affordable level; Musharraf must quit; National Security Council should be packed up; and parliament's sovereignty should be restored.
Baloch thanked PML-N, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and other parties and organisations for their support, and regretted PPP's opposition to the strike and its earlier million marches.
"We feel that the PPP has made a political blunder by remaining indifferent to our programmes. The PPP will suffer because of this attitude," he said.
To pin hopes on the United States and General Musharraf by toeing a soft line would not serve the PPP, he added. He said the MMA movement had entered its decisive phase.
MNAs Farid Paracha, Aslam and Hanif Abbasi flanked Liaquat Baloch. Meanwhile, information minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed termed the strike a failure and said it is a victory of general public and Pakistan as people have rejected the politics of convenience.
He was talking to reporters during his visit to Rawalpindi City on Saturday. He said like million marches, wheel-jam and shutter-down strike proved a failure and it was an eye-opener for MMA leaders.
He said as a result of the prudent economic policies, the country was put on the path of development and economic stability, and any negative act would derail the country and have negative impacts.
The minister expressed hope the people in future would also discourage such negative elements and would not allow them to play with the country's economic development.
RAWALPINDI: Police have arrested dozens of activists of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) for creating law and order situation in the city and disrupting normal life by burning tyres on roads.
In response to wheel-jam and shutter-down call given by the MMA, people have shown mixed response to this call and markets were partially closed and traffic was very thin on roads.
Heavy police and law-enforcing agencies contingents were deployed in every market of the city in order to forestall any law and order situation. Youths and activists of the MMA tried to disrupt traffic on main Murree Road, Tipu Road and were forcing shopkeepers to close their shops. Police removed blockades and arrested dozens of activists.
Police sources told this scribe that cases against these workers would be filed under MPO 16 and anti-terrorist act.
They said section 144 was imposed in the city and any person, who violated this section, would be taken to task and dealt with properly under the law.
PESHAWAR: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) strike against price hike, unemployment, increase in prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene oil, lawlessness and government's pro-US agenda received remarkable response in NWFP.
All otherwise busy shopping centres, bazaars and roads of the provincial metropolis wore a deserted look as traders kept their shutters down while transporters kept away their vehicles from the roads to express solidarity with the ruling alliance in the province.
The stick waving activists of the component political parties of the alliance patrolled various bazaars and shopping centres to convince people for participation in the strike. However, according to MMA officials, people had voluntarily observed strike to express confidence in the leadership of the alliance.
The situation generally remained calm and peaceful, except a minor clash between JI activists and police in Bara Banda, Tehsil Khawazakhela, district Swat. The clash resulted in injuries to seven persons, including three police personnel.
Reports of complete shutter-down and wheel-jam were received from Malakand, Dir Lower, Dir Upper, Chitral, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kohat, Charsadda and tribal areas.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, JI NWFP Amir and provincial minister Sirajul Haq thanked businessmen, shopkeepers, transporters and general public for participation in the strike and making it a success.
LAHORE: Wheel kept on moving, while shutter remained partially opened in response to the MMA wheel-jam and shutter-down strike call here on Saturday.
The police have arrested as many as 16 MMA activists on the charge of creating law and order problem.
Markets situated in posh areas including Liberty Market, Main Market Gulberg, Hafeez Centre, Hall Road, Shadman Market, Barket Market, Gumti Bazar and Orega Centre remained opened throughout the day.
Markets dealing in wholesale businesses including Akbari Mandi, Shahalam Market, Sooha Bazar, Commercial Building, Nila Gumbad and Circular Road remained closed in response to the MMA's strike call.
However, businessmen in Azam Cloth Market, Currency Market, Duty Free Shop, closed down their shops after MMA activists used crackers to force them to close down their business.
MMA activists blocked Multan Road near Mansoora to create hurdle in smooth flow of traffic where police used teargas to disburse them. Protestors pelted stones on police. Police arrested eight people from Mansoora, four each from Shadbagh and Shahalmi Market.
Shops situated on Ferozepur Road, Wahdat Road, Anarkali, Urdu Bazaar, Montgomery Road, Jail Road, Shalimar Link Road remained partially closed. Akbari Mandi, the main commodity market in Punjab remained closed throughout the day.
According to information collected by Business Recorder, not a single shop was opened in the market. Supply of fresh stocks of various commodities from other cities also remained suspended. Shops in adjoining areas of Akbari Mandi also remained closed throughout the day.
A number of labourers of Akbari Mandi told this scribe that they are getting only one rupee for the delivery of one bag from one shop to a truck. "If government fails to check price hike, there will be more strikes in days ahead," they added.
JI secretary-general Syed Munawar Hassan has said that MMA's wheel-jam and shutter-down strike on Saturday remained highly successful.
While addressing a press conference at Mansoora, Munawar claimed that strike remained hundred percent successful in Balochistan and NWFP, while people of Punjab and Sindh also expressed their resentment against the policies of present government by observing strike.
He alleged that the police opened firing on MMA parliamentary secretary in the Punjab Assembly Asghar Ali Gujjar and his companions in Layyah. As a result, MMA activist Abdul Malik died on the spot while 12 people including Asghar Ali Gujjar received injuries.
HYDERABAD: Almost all towns in Sindh remained completely closed on Saturday in response to a strike call given by Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) to express their anger against the price hike of essential commodities and frequent increase in petroleum products.
In Hyderabad, the strike call received a mixed response. In the Hyderabad taluka, main business and commercial centres remained closed while areas of Latifabad remained open. Traffic was thin. No untoward incident was reported.
Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim visited Latifabad on Saturday afternoon and chatted with traders and people.
According to reports from Sukkur, main commercial areas remained deserted, as people could not reach there due to strike.
Reports from Dadu, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Naushero Feroze, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Thatta and Badin indicate that complete shutter-down strike was observed.
FAISALABAD: Eighty percent shops and business establishments remained closed here on Saturday on strike call of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), and more than 50 activists, including a senior journalist, were rounded up after a hide and seek game with the police at Chowk Narwala and Chowk Clock Tower.
MULTAN: MMA activists and law enforcing agencies played a hide and seek game the whole day in Multan city. Police arrested local leaders of MMA. Partial strike was observed in Bahawalpur, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal, Vehari, Rajanpur, and Muzaffargarh.
Mostly shops and markets remained open as Markazi Anjuman Tajiran had expressed its dissociation from the strike call.