KARACHI, May 12: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has strongly condemned police violence on a peaceful demonstration of the Dadu and Thatta sugar mills' workers, who were protesting for their rights, at the Governor's House on Thursday.

In a joint statement on Friday, the HRCP Secretary General, Iqbal Haider, and Vice Chairman Zohra Yousuf held the Sindh government and other provincial authorities responsible for the violent police action against women, children and workers, who were peacefully protesting for their jobs in the said mills.

According to the HRCP, the Dadu Sugar Mills, where more than 1,100 workers were employed, was illegally closed and all workers were deprived of their jobs.

There were neither given any golden handshakes or other alternative employment.

Similarly, the Thatta Sugar Mills was also closed by its management and the poor workers faced the same fate as workers of the Dadu Sugar Mills.

On May 11, the police under instructions from the provincial administration arrested more than 200 workers including women and children. They were placed in shabby conditions at various police stations.

The HRCP’s Joint Action Committee along with council members and activists visited the Frere, Clifton and Gizri police stations.

The police officers at the Clifton police station, where four women were detained, did not allow the team to see the detainees and rather misbehaved with the HRCP activists, the HRCP officials alleged.

They urged the government to ensure that workers of the Dadu and Thatta sugar mills were not denied their legal rights in any manner and they were paid all their dues, benefits and allowances without any further delay.

The government should also provide medical and treatment to the demonstrators who got injured at the hands of police and local administration, they added.—PPI