August 28, 2008	Thursday	Sha'aban 25, 1429

MIRPURKHAS, Aug 27: At least 48 bonded labourers, including women and children, were set free after a police raid on a brick kiln on Tuesday.

The district and sessions judge of Umerkot ordered the Pithoro SHO to conduct the raid at Umer Khan’s brick kiln near Bachao Band and get the bonded labourers freed.Police conducted the raid and got freed 48 bonded labourers, including 15 women and 22 children, who were forced to work there.

Later, they were produced before the court and the sessions judge after hearing them allowed them to go.

Balchand, Lalchand, Naraindas, Ms Molan and Ms Gulaban told journalists that they had worked at the kiln under the supervision of armed men.

They said they were not allowed to move freely nor allowed to meet their relatives.

Subsistence allowance: Hundreds of deserving women deprived of subsistence allowance staged a demonstration outside the press club here on Wednesday to protest against the Mirpurkhas district nazim.

Led by local PPP leader Shamim Jhandeer and carrying national identity cards in their hands, the women blocked the Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas road which led to suspension of vehicular traffic for four hours. They also raised slogans against the nazim.

They told journalists that they were called by the officials of nazim secretariat every Wednesday for payment from Baitul Maal fund.

They alleged that only favourites of the nazim receive payments while others were deprived of the allowance.