KHAIRPUR, Oct 29: Sindh People’s Party Parliamentarians president Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said if participation of the PPP is necessary in the All Parties Conference summoned by the prime minister or the PML about earthquake, PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto should be officially invited because earthquake was a national disaster.

He was talking to party workers and journalists while visiting a relief camp set up by the PPP here on Saturday.

He said the package announced by the government for reconstruction of quake-hit areas was not sufficient. He said the PPP was not facing difficulty in distributing relief goods among affected people because the party had its organizational network in all areas of Azad Kashmir and Mansehra. He said relief goods were being sent by the party organizations all over Sindh and it would continue till needed.

Mr Shah said politics was being done on the Sindhi language amendment ordinance. He said that in 1972, the Sindh Assembly passed a bill and it was on record. He said that Urdu was given the status of national language during the PPP tenure by then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and it was included in the 1973 Constitution. He said teaching of Asan Sindhi in class-XI was compulsory but in English medium schools it was not being taught.

Paramedics: Doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff boycotted their work for two hours in four government hospitals of the city on Saturday.

They were protesting against interference of outsiders in the nursing training centre and hostel and threats issued to the civil surgeon of the Khairpur Civil Hospital.

The staff of the Civil Hospital, TB Hospital, City Hospital and the Lady Willington Hospital did not attend any patient and no official work was carried out.

Later, nurses of the hospitals held a demonstration on the Kutchehry road for one hour which led to suspension of vehicular traffic.

Doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff also held separate protest meetings.

HIJACKZED: Six armed men hijacked two motorbikes from five villagers on the National Highway near Mithri, Kot Diji taluka, here on Monday evening.