DADU, Sept 2: Over 1,000 people took out a procession in Sehwan on Saturday in protest against imposition of road tax and removal of shops from the roads of Sehwan. Protesters, including shopkeepers, councillors and political activists, marched on roads of the town raising slogans against the Dadu Town Municipal Administration.

They also staged demonstration on the Indus Highway for two hours and demolished a tax office with tractors.

The government-backed Khushhal Pakistan Panel’s nazims of UC-I and II of Sehwan, Mohammad Ashraf Solangi and Farooq Solangi, Lala Aijaz Baloch (PPP-SB), Ehsan Rind and Ghulam Nabi Solangi (PML) were leading the demonstrators.

Speaking on the occasion, the leaders said the annual Urs of Qalandar Lal Shahbaz would start from Sept 11, and the taluka nazim had imposed taxes on transports and shopkeepers.

They alleged that dozens of shops had been demolished on the main roads of the town on the pretext of removing encroachments.

They said that taluka municipal administration of Sehwan was creating problems for citizens and vowed to continue their protest.

Sehwan Taluka Nazim Sikandar Ali Rahpoto said the TMA had made a plan to develop the town and with the approval of the taluka council, taxes had been imposed on roads to help increase income of the TMA.

He said the administration had removed only encroachments.

The nazim said the government-backed nazims were launching protest because he belonged to the PPP-backed group, Awam Dost Panel.

CONDEMNED: A large number of the Awami Tahreek activists took out a procession here on Saturday to protest against killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti.