HYDERABAD, April 6: The Sindh National Party activists held a demonstration outside the press club here on Sunday in support of people who have been observing token hunger strikes for some weeks to seek justice from the authorities.

Speaking on the occasion, SNP leader Dr Dilbar Khan criticized the authorities concerned for taking no notice of the hunger strikes.

Referring to the plight of one of the protesters, Dr Khan said nine family members of the peasant, Manoo Bheel, were kidnapped allegedly by a landlord of Sanghar, Abdur Rehman Mari, on May 2, 1998, in Waryam Memon goth, Mirpurkhas. An FIR was registered with the Jhuddo police on May 4 but the hostages had not been recovered by the police nor had the government taken any notice of the matter, he added.

Mr Bheel is observing a token hunger strike since Jan 19, 2003 to pressure the authorities to recover his relatives.

The SNP leader further said an employee of the Civil Aviation Authority, Nawaz Bughio, had been observing a token hunger strike for over three months, Saira Bibi of the Jamshoro power station had completed 103 days of her hunger strike and the hunger strike by former employees of the Fateh Apparel and the Fateh Weaving had entered the 108th day but the government had remained indifferent.

They said the Sindh governor and the chief minister had visited the hunger strike camps and assured the protesters they would be provided with justice but they had failed done nothing in this regard.

The SNP leader threatened to launch a protest movement if the government did not resolve problems of the protesters.