HYDERABAD, March 16: A large number of people from Qasimabad area observed a token hunger strike outside the press club here on Monday to protest against flour shortage in the city.

Talking to newsmen, Awami Tehrik leader Vishnumal, People's Party Parliamentarians leader Jam Saqi and others accused the food department authorities and flour traders of creating an artificial shortage of flour in Sindh.

They said that flour was staple food in the province where millions of people were suffering due to its shortage. They said that the government, hoarders, black marketeers and flour mill owners were jointly responsible for creating flour shortage.

They demanded that the government should fix the price of flour at Rs10 per kilogramme and eliminate its shortage, failing which protest demonstrations would be launched throughout the province.

FAST UNTO DEATH:
The chief of the Former Employees Action Committee, Sindh Road Transport Corporation, Ghulam Mohammad Depar, commenced his hunger strike unto death outside the press club here on Monday.

The hunger strike is aimed at pressuring the Sindh government to pay dues of the former employees of the defunct SRTC. Mr Depar told journalists that some workers of his organization would also begin hunger strike unto death outside the Sukkur Press Club on March 29.

He threatened that some activists would commit self- immolation in Karachi on April 22 if their dues were not paid till then. On Sunday, the former employees of the defunct SRTC held a protest demonstration outside the press club here on the umpteenth occasion.

They said that they would hold protest demonstrations outside the Governor House and Sindh Secretariat on April 12 and April 22, respectively, if the 1,999's agreement between the government and the employees was not implemented.

DEMO:
Imamia Students' Organization activists held a protest demonstration outside the press club here on Sunday against arrest of religious leader Allama Jaan Ali Shah Kazmi in Quetta.

Speaking on the occasion, ISO leader Ghazanfar Abbas termed the arrest a deplorable act and said that innocent leaders of the Millat-i-Jafria were being arrested to cover government failure in arresting terrorists.

He demanded that the terrorists should be arrested and the arrested leaders of the Millat-e-Jafria should be immediately released. Mustafa Ali said that 56 innocent people were killed in Quetta on 10th of Moharram which spoke volumes of the inefficiency of the government. The protesters also raised slogans against the United States of America and Israel.

DAWN