HYDERABAD, Feb 21: The weekend dismissal of provincial revenue minister Imtiaz Shaikh by the Sindh chief minister has divided the workers of the Pakistan Muslim League , with one group taking out a motor rally in favour of Mr Shaikh and another group demonstrating in favour of the chief minister's action on Monday.

A large number of workers of the PML attended a motor rally from Tandojam to Hyderabad in support of the sacked minister and provincial general secretary of the party. Led by the joint secretary of the Hyderabad district chapter of the PML, Mir Sher Mohammad Talpur, the party workers raised slogans in favour of Mr Shaikh and blocked the road outside the Hyderabad Press Club for sometime by staging a sit-in.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Talpur and others termed the sacking a conspiracy against the party. They said that the removal of Mr Shaikh just before the local bodies' elections had disappointed the party workers throughout the province and claimed that Mr Shaikh had reorganised the party on a sound footings.

They appealed to the president, prime minister and PML chief Choudhry Shujaat Hussain to reinstate Mr Shaikh, failing which the party workers would hold a series of protest demonstrations throughout the province.

Meanwhile, PML activists from Qasimabad and Latifabad talukas held a demonstration outside the press club in support of Sindh Chief Minister and provincial president of the party Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim. Speaking on the occasion, Ayaz Ali Jafri and others said that Mr Rahim had taken a courageous step by removing Mr Shaikh on corruption charges.

NAZIM: City Taluka Nazim Haji Moinuddin Shaikh has said that the Al-Khadim group has tried its level best to serve people of the city by providing them basic facilities and it will continue to do so in future. He was speaking at a meeting of the nazims and councillors of the group in Phuleli here.