January 01, 2008	Tuesday	Zilhaj 21, 1428

THATTA, Dec 31: Destruction of banking network after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto is bound to make 64,000 people of the district including pensioners, salaried class, businessmen, small traders, contractors and individual account holders suffer for indefinite period.

Except for three NBP branches - Sujawal, Jati and Jhampir, all eight including Thatta’s Main Branch, Makli, Var, Mirpur Sakro, Ghorabari, Mirpur Bathoro, Chuhar Jamali and Gharo were completely or partially destroyed.

The district main NBP branch, having a deposit ceiling of Rs20 million cash and a custodian of mortgaged gold ornaments and proprietorship deeds and documents was the worst affected, where not only miscreants reduced to ashes its entire record, computers, furniture, fixture and installations but also caused massive damage to newly constructed building.

Others put to torch and sustained major destruction were branches of the MCB, the UBL and the HBL Thatta, besides ZTBL in Thatta and Mirpur Bathoro towns.

Accounts of over 7,000 pensioners of departments of local bodies were also reduced to ashes.

At Nadra, complete record of birth certificates and new applications for registration and issuance of CNIC, was gutted in the fire. About 5,200 people will face hardship.