KARACHI/ISLAMABAD Countrywide rallies and protest demonstrations were held on Friday against Thursdays twin suicide blasts at Abdullah Shah Ghazis shrine in Karachi. After the blasts, sense of mourning prevailed as trade centres, shops, petrol pumps and schools remained closed while rioting was also reported at some places in the City. A complete shutter-down strike was observed in the area while firing continued in Shah Faisal Colony, New Karachi, Landhi, Rashid Minhas Road and Nazimabad Road. Some unknown people pelted stones at vehicles in Gulistan-i-Johar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Abul Hassan Isfahani Road and Malir. Heavy contingents of police and Rangers was called to control the deteriorating law and order situation in the City. The police started patrolling and arrested several people on charge of creating riots. The security had been beefed up to thwart any untoward incident. RAWALPINDI: Scores of workers of Sunni Tehrik (ST) and Anjuman-e-Sarfaroshan-e-Islam International (ASII) held a protest rally against the blasts. Enraged protesters vehemently condemned the gory incident, rebuked the statement of Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza regarding closure of shrines in the province and demanded of the government to round up the culprits involved in this inhuman incident. They said the PPP-led government had completely failed to provide security to the masses and Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza should step down from their offices. After Juma prayers, hundreds of ST workers held a protest demo outside Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club (RIPC) and Shah Khalid Colony near Benazir Bhutto International Islamabad Airport and took out rallies on Benazir Bhutto Road and Airport Road. The participants of the rally, led by ST office-bearers Allama Tahir Iqbal Chishti, Allama Attaur Rehman Dhaniyal and Sajjad Haider Qadri jointly, were holding party flags, placards and banners bristled with slogans 'stop targeting the sacred places like Sufis shrines, 'arrest the criminals involved in these heinous crimes and 'beef up the security of the shrines. While addressing, ST office-bearers condemned the gruesome attack at Abdullah Shah Ghazis shrine in Karachi and demanded of the govt to arrest the terrorists of outlawed organisations involved in the heinous acts like the attacks on holy shrines. MIRPURKHAS: Complete strike was observed in Mirpurkhas to protest against the suicide bombings. Armed motorcyclists resorted to aerial firing in the City to force the shopkeepers to close their shops. Resultantly, all the markets, bazaars and shopping centres were closed down by the traders. Petrol pumps and CNG stations also suspended fuel sale, as result citizens faced hardships to get the petrol for their vehicles and bikes. Youth also burnt old tyres at the roads and traffic was thin in the City, while transport was also off the roads leading towards Hyderabad, Mithi, Khipro, Sanghar, Umerkot. Resolutions were adopted in mosques against the suicide blasts. A big rally, led by Maulana Mufti Shareef Saeedi, Hafiz Mehmood Ahmed Qadri, Allama Sadique Saeedi and leader of Sunni Tehreek Iltimas Sabir, was taken out by Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat from Darul Uloom Kanzul Iman near the Railway Station Chowk. The rally participants carried banners and placards during the demonstration. They demanded immediate arrest of the culprits involved in the bombings. FAISALABAD: A series of protests rallies were also taken out in Faisalabad vent anger against the cowardly terrorist attacks. Sunni Tehreek, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, Anjuman Talba-e-Islam, Anjuman Sarfarosh Islam, International Khatm-e-Nabuvat Movement and a majority of local political parties took out more than a two dozen protest rallies in the City. Meanwhile, a big protest rally of JUP reached the Clock Tower Square and joined up with the Sunni Tehreek workers. Sunni Tehreek activists from dozens of other parts of the City also took out protest rallies and staged demos. Anjuman Talba-e-Islam took out a big rally from Abdullah Pur. The activists of all rallies were unanimous in condemnation of terrorist attacks at shrines of saints.