HYDERABAD, June 7: A group of writers, intellectuals, leaders of various political parties and employees of the Sindhi Adabi Board held a protest demonstration and observed a token hunger strike outside the press club here on Saturday.

They were protesting against nonpayment of four-month salaries to employees of the Sindhi Adabi Board.

The protesters raised slogans against the chairman of the board, Ghulam Rabbani Agro, and demanded his removal.

Comrade Jam Saqi, Sarfaraz Rajar and Aajiz Dhamra (People’s Party Parliamentarians), Mehboob Abro and Sehr Rizvi (Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party) and writers Amar Sindhu, Parwano Bhatti, Prof Inam Shaikh and Zaib Nizamani were among those who observed hunger strike.

The protesters demanded that the government should increase funds for the institution and immediately pay salaries to its employees.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Adabi Board told Dawn on telephone that the board had received Rs5 million grant which was not enough to pay salaries to the employees. He admitted that the employees had not been paid their salaries since February 2003.

He said the Adabi Board had recommended a grant of Rs8 million which had been agreed in principle by the authorities concerned but the board had not received the additional amount.

He deplored that nothing had been done to resolve the problem despite the Sindh governor, chief secretary, secretary for culture and the secretary for education were aware of the financial crisis confronting the board.