March 15, 2006	Wednesday	Safar 14, 1427

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SUKKUR, March 14: Hundreds of farmers from Sobhodero taluka held a sit-in outside the office of the chief engineer of the Sukkur Barrage in protest against non-availability of water in tail-end areas of the Faiz Wah canal and construction of illegal watercourses.

They reached the city on Tuesday morning on tractors trolleys and other vehicles.

Syed Qamaruzzaman Shah and Abadgar Action Committee leaders Shahdad Hussain Bhagat and Dr Fatah Memon led the protesters.

After observing a sit-in for an hour outside the office of the chief engineer, they marched towards Clock Tower and held a sit-in for half an hour.

The carried placards and banners and changed slogans against irrigation officials.

The protestors marched towards the press club and observed a sit-in for an hour.

They blocked the main roads due to which vehicular traffic came to a standstill.

They termed the committee formed by the Sindh irrigation minister as an eyewash and said that the minister was helpless regarding the issue of water theft through illegal watercourses as they belonged to influential people.

They said if the Sindh irrigation minister was not able to solve the problem, then he must resign.

They threatened that if the problem was not solved within three days, more farmers would join indefinite hunger strike.

MNA Khursheed Shah and MPA Nasrullah Baloch visited the hunger strike camp and supported farmers’ demand.

Mr Shah assured them that he would take up the matter in the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, owners of watercourses originating from shakhs of the Faiz Wah canal including UC Nazim Fida Hussain Abbasi, Muzzafar Hussain, Shahnawaz Tunio and Mujahid Kalhoro reached the press club.

Talking to journalists, they claimed that their watercourses were legal and threatened that if the hunger strike was not ended by Wednesday, they along with hundreds of farmers would observe an indefinite hunger strike outside the press club.

They said that their watercourses were approved in 1951 by the government and hundreds of families were earning livelihood through the watercourses.

Terming the hunger strike of the farmers unjust and wrong, they said that they had made the issue of non-issue and just wanted to subject their children to starvation.

RALLY: Over 200 people took out on Monday a rally and staged a sit-in to protest against delay in arrest of police officials allegedly involved in the death of Ghaffar Shaikh in the police custody a month ago.

The protesters, including members of Shaikh community and people of the area, led by Gul Mohammad Talani and A. G. Ansari, marched through main streets of the city and reached the office of the DPO of Jacobabad office where they staged a sit-in.