KARACHI, Jan 13: The Sindh Police had to tackle more than 17,000 instances of unrest, including hunger strike, demonstration, rally, road blockade, sit-in, strike and other acts of agitation over the past four years which reflects the magnitude of social discontent prevailing in the province.

The actual number of these demos is 17,338 having taken place between 2003 and 2006.

According to the break-up, 3,316 hunger strikes, 3,493 demonstrations, 3,001 rallies and processions, 333 road blockades, 103 drives of wearing black arm-bands, 279 sit-ins, 76 pen-down strikes, 77 general strikes, four shutter-downs and 116 other sorts of agitation took place in Sindh, says a Sindh Police report.

There were 4,721 demonstrations in the year 2003; 4,101 demos in 2004; 3753 in 2005; and 4,762 last year.

Alleged excesses and police atrocities, non-payment of salaries, demolition of houses, law and order situation, kidnappings, political and economic issues, besides serious human rights violations appeared to be the cause of unrest in most cases.—PPI