LARKANA, Dec 27: Over 200 sacked employees of the Sui Southern Gas Company, hailing from Ratodero and Naudero, on Tuesday staged a sit-in at the main chowk in Naundero, demanding their reinstatement. They marched 18 kilometres by foot from Naudero to Larkana.

They arrived at the Madressah Ishatul Quran where Sindh Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam secretary-general Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro received them and assured them of his support.

They told Dr Soomro that they had been sacked nine years ago on political grounds.

The protesters later demonstrated outside the Larkana Press club where former district nazim Khurshid Junejo and other PPP leaders joined them.

The employees have been observing token hunger strike for seven days along with their children in Naundero.

They appealed to the president, prime minister and the senate chairman to intervene in the matter and ensure their reinstatement.

They said the Supreme Court had decided the case in their favour two and half years ago but the SSGC management was not reinstating them.

They said they would stage a long march from Larkana to Karachi and then from Karachi to Islamabad if their demand was not accepted.

They said the senate’s standing committee report in the matter should be made public.

Employees who participated in the protest included Rehman Phulpoto, Fida Hussain Soomro, Aijaz Mangi, Oshaque Dhoki, Nadeem Bhatti, Mohammad Bakhsh Narejo, Ajeet Jung, Liaquat Mangrio, Roshan Ansari, Inam Ali Kango, Miandad Shaikh, Qurban Jarwar, Shabir Narejo, Imdad Phulpoto and Abdul Haq Arbani.