November 20, 2003	Thursday	Ramazan 24, 1424

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SUKKUR, Nov 19: The Sindh High Court, Sukkur bench, on Wednesday issued notices against 17 respondents, including federal, Sindh and Khairpur district government functionaries, in a petition alleging harassment by a Sindh minister.

The bench directed them to appear before the court on Dec 4.

The constitutional petition was filed through advocate Imdad Awan by 33 Nazims and Naib Nazims of union and taluka councils of the district, stating therein that the respondents were harassing them at the insistence of Sindh Irrigation Minister Sadaruddin Rashdi, who belonged to the Pakistan Muslim League-F.

The petitioners said they were elected representatives of the people and were performing their duties in accordance with the law but the minister was pressuring them.

They said the district Nazim of Khairpur had called a meeting of office-bearers of various district monitoring committees for Nov 18 to discuss the progress of the committees but the respondents resorted to illegal measures and stopped the petitioners at different places while they were coming to attend the meeting.

They said they were also issued with threats of implicating them in false cases if they attended the meeting. They prayed the court that the respondents should be restrained from interfering in the smooth running of the district government.