June 18, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 13, 1429

SHIKARPUR, June 17: A meeting of prominent people of Soomro and other communities from Shikarpur, Jacobabad and other places was held here at Soomra House on Tuesday to develop pressure on a youth, Ismail Soomro, to divorce his wife, Saira Jatoi, whom he had married against the wish of her family.

The meeting expressed concern over what it called implication of former MPA Junaid Ahmed Soomro and MPA Mir Abid Hussain Jatoi in illegal confinement of Ismail Soomro and Saira Jatoi.

The participants refuted the allegations against Junaid Soomro and Abid Jatoi and threatened to launch a protest drive against what they called false cases lodged against Junaid Soomro and Abid Jatoi.

Ismail Soomro and Saira Jatoi had married of their own choice a year ago. Last week Ismail’s maternal uncle Dr Jawed Soomro and his wife were kidnapped from their house in Sukkur and later freed on the condition that Ismail would divorce Saira.

An FIR has been lodged against Junaid Soomro and Abid Jatoi for keeping the couple in illegal confinement.

After Tuesday’s meeting, a union council nazim, Amanullah Soomro, Agha Manzoor Pathan, Zahid Ghaloo, Seth Partab Rai, president of Hindu Panchayat, and others at a press conference condemned the FIR and implication of Junaid Soomro and Abid Jatoi in the case. They claimed that the episode was a drama aimed at distorting political image of Junaid Soomro and Abid Jatoi.

DEMO: Growers from Samandar Khan Gopang and other villages staged a demonstration and blocked Jacobabad-Ratodero road to protest against water shortage in Nim Shakh (canal) on Tuesday.

The protesters alleged that irrigation officials were demanding bribe to release water into the canal. They demanded water supply to the canal to enable the growers to cultivate paddy crop.

Two killed : Two men were killed in separate incidents in the jurisdictions of Rustam and Naparkot police stations on Tuesday.

One Mumtaz Atrani Jatoi was gunned down by his rivals allegedly belonging to Saeed Khanani Jatoi tribe, when he was going to Tharo Khan Jatoi village.

In the other incident, Chodihio Jafri was shot dead allegedly by Teghani tribesmen at Pun Mile village in the jurisdiction of Naparkot police station. The motive behind the murders is said to be old enmity.