The Constitution gives the opposition the right of protest but the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) cannot force traders to participate in its shutter down strike on April 2, said Muhammad Basharrat Raja, Punjab minister for Law, while addressing the Punjab Assembly on Thursday. Replying to a point of order raised by Arshad Mehmood Baggu of the MMA, he said that traders were against strikes and the business community was helping the government with development programmes. Raja said that the government would protect traders from politicians who tried to interfere in their business. He said that there was a complete ban on processions throughout the province. He said that the MMA had violated Section 144 by taking out a procession in Faisalabad. The result was that law enforcement agencies took action against them and many MMA workers were arrested, he added.