May 11, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 5, 1429

BAHAWALPUR, May 10: Sanitation staffers of the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) observed strike on Saturday and staged a protest rally against the alleged harassment and humiliation of a female co-worker by a youth in Satellite Town area the other day.

The strike left the city roads and streets littered with garbage and sewers overflowing throughout the day, creating huge inconvenience for residents.

The demonstrators first gathered in the TMA compound and demanded registration of a case against Malik Nadeem for harassing female sweeper Zohra. They also demanded Nadeem’s immediate arrest.

The TMA employees were later joined by the office-bearers of All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) to take out a protest rally. The participants of the rally marched on city roads to reach DCO Office through Farid Gate. They raised slogans against the TMA officials for not taking any swift action against the suspect.

Addressing the demonstrators, APCA Punjab chapter secretary-general Fakhrur Rehman Azhar and others said that they would observe hunger strike and stage a sit-in on Monday to press for the acceptance of their demands. In the end, the demonstrators dispersed peacefully.