KARACHI, May 13: Labourers, politicians, NGOs and human rights bodies held a demonstration in front of the Karachi Press Club on Saturday to protest the police brutality against protesters, and demanded restoration of jobs of the workers of the Thatta and Dadu sugar mills.

Organized by the Iqilabi Jamhoori Workers Committee, the protest demonstration was attended by a large number of workers and labour leaders, who condemned the police highhandedness. The participants of the demonstration urged the rulers to solve the problems of the workers or quit the government.

They chanted slogans against a recent police action on peaceful protesters outside the Governor’s House and also condemned the government for its silence on the issue. They also demanded that jobs of the workers should be restored.

Those who spoke to the protesters included Mairaj Mohammad Khan, Communist Mazdoor Kisan Party’s Aijaz Ghani, Socialist Movement’s Zubair Rahman, Railway Workers’ Federation’s Manzoor Razi, Maqadar Zaman, poet Nadeem Sibtain, Communist Party’s Salim Akhtar, labour leaders Fareen Awan, Latif Mughal, Manzoor Badayuni, Rifat Hussain Baba, Z A Siddiqui, Azhar Jamil, and others.

Meanwhile, the hunger strike by the Dadu and Thatta sugar mills employees and their family members entered the 20th day on Saturday.

The General Secretary of the Employees Union of the Dadu Sugar Mills, Allah Bachayo, and President and General Secretary of the Thatta Sugar Mills, Asadullah Shah, and Allah Bakhsh Mallah, respectively, said in a statement that the police torture on women and children violated all principles of decency.

They requested the trade union organizations and political and social leaders and human rights bodies to raise their voices against injustices being committed against workers.