Karachi, April 2, SPA -- A general strike shut down parts of Pakistan on Saturday after a coalition of Muslim groupscalled for a protest to demand that the country's president step down, the Associated Press reported. Shops were closed in parts of the nation's biggest city,Karachi, and in Peshawar, the capital of North WestFrontier Province. Business activity also slowed in Lahore,the capital of eastern Punjab province and Quetta, thecapital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan, wherepolice said men from the coalition damaged someshops and vehicles. The six-party Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, or United ActionForum, also called MMA, issued the call for a nationwidestrike last month to reject President Gen. PervezMusharraf's policies and pressure him to resign.--SPA1155 Local Time 0855 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/251444