April 10, 2003	Thursday	Safar 7, 1424

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QUETTA, April 9: Representatives of the Pakistan Mines and Industrial Trade Unions Federation have demanded of the Balochistan government to provide security to the coal miners working in the Chamalang area where many labourers were killed and injured in the last week.

Speaking at a press conference here the other day in the press club, federation Secretary-General Haji Mehrban Shah and provincial General Secretary Sarzamin Afghani claimed that on April 1 and 2, nine workers were killed in landmine blasts in the area, but no steps for their protection were taken. Even, they said, the government had not announced compensations for the families of dead and injured in the incidents.

They alleged that government funds allocated for the workers welfare were not being used properly and demanded that the government should take appropriate steps to protect the rights of labourers.

The federation officials were of the view that the Gadani ship breaking industry was at the verge of collapse due to a lack of interest by the successive governments. From 1973 to 1985, the strength of workers in Gadani was about 25,000 which, they said, had now reduced to only 4,000.

They also stressed that real representatives of the workers should be included in the governing bodies of government departments so that the officials concerned could be apprised of genuine problems of the labourers.

RALLY: Members of the Pukhtunkhwa Students’ Organization (PSO) staged a protest rally on Wednesday to protest against the US-led invasion of Iraq killing of the civilians.

The protesters took out a procession from Government Science College and after marching through various roads culminated at the press club.

The protesters were chanting slogans in favour of Saddam Hussein and against President Bush and Prime Ministers Tony Blair.

The rally was organized on the call of International Union of Students and Asian Students’ Organization to condemn the coalition forces for attacking an independent and sovereign state without the prior approval of the United Nations’ Security Council.

Speaking on the occasion the secretary of the PSO, Nasrullah Zeray, criticized President Bush and Primer Tony Blair for toppling the government of President Saddam Hussein, which enjoyed the backing of the Iraqi people.

He said that the invaders main objective was to impose a puppet regime in Baghdad to utilize the oil resource country for the benefit of their respective countries.

The participants of anti-war rally also burnt the effigy of President Bush and later dispersed peacefully.

FUNDS: The Balochistan Bar Council has demanded of the provincial government to enhance funds for Council from Rs200,000 to 10,00,000 to meet the financial requirements.

Balochistan Bar Council Chairman and Advocate-General of Balochistan Muhammad Salauddin Mengal presided over the meeting. Vice Chairman Senator Kamran Murtaz advocate, Malik Zahoor Shahwani, Chairman of Executive Committee, Akbar Ali Baloch, Chairman of Legal Education, and Ali Ahmed Kurd, President of Balochistan Bar Association, also attended the meeting.

The meeting decided to form various committees, which include legal education committee, free legal ad-hoc committee and human rights committee. The participants also agreed to publish a law journal that would be called Balochistan Law Journal. Chairman of executive committee would be supervisor and chairman of the Journal.

The meeting urged all members of the Council to pay their outstanding dues otherwise action would be taken against them according to the Bar Council Act.

The meeting endorsed with a majority vote all decisions of the previous meeting.