June 13, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 08, 1429

HYDERABAD, June 12: Leaders of different NGOs united under the banner of Joint Action Committee Sindh set up a token hunger strike camp outside the press club here on Thursday to protest against the closure of Shahdadkot Textile Mills and shifting of its machinery to Punjab.

They said that the closure of the mills was tantamount to economic murder of 6,000 families.

They said that the mill was worth billions of rupees but disposed of at a pittance — only Rs80 million — and alleged that the Privatisation Commission officials were involved in corruption.

They said that the mills machinery worth Rs5 billion had already been shifted to Punjab but when the remaining machinery was being shifted the mills’ workers and the members of the civil society raised strong protest and because of that the machinery could not be shifted.

They threatened to seek remedy from the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

They demanded that the government should take over the possession of the mills and make it operational.

Those who went on hunger strike included the coordinator of the committee, Zain Daudpoto, veteran leftist and PPP leader Jam Saqi, Sindh Hari Workers Council president Punhal Sario, Ramzan Memon and Shahina Ramzan of Bhandar Hari Sangat, Ghulam Rasool Memon of People’s Labour Bureau, labour leader Wahab Pandrani, Ilyas Khokhar of Rural Development Society and Zulfiqar Shah of South Asia Partnership.