TOBA TEK SINGH: Hundreds of power-loom workers on Tuesday held a march from Sadhar Industrial Area on Jhang Road to Faisalabad deputy commissioner’s office against around two-month long closure of the units where they were employed.

After staging sort of a ‘long march’, comprising several kilometers, the power loom workers staged a hunger strike camp outside the DC Complex.

Addressing the protesters, the Labour Qaumi Movement’s Chairman, Baba Latif Ansari, and other leaders, including Sheikh Nisar, Rana Nazim, Rana Fakhar, Hafiz Umair and Malik Mumtaz, alleged that the district administration failed to convince the owners to make these units functional, as the prolonged closure has rendered thousands of workers jobless.

They said that that the families of the jobless workers were on the verge of starvation and their electricity connections have been disconnected because of financial hardship.

The labour leaders deplored that the owners, instead of accepting their demands of an annual raise in their wages, implementing health and safety rules and arranging clean drinking water for the workers, locked their power-loom units.

They announced that their sit-in and hunger strike will continue till the acceptance of their demands.

WOMEN’S BIKE RALLY: Scores of women traffic wardens, policewomen and female students and teachers of different educational institutions on Tuesday staged a bike rally at Faisalabad.

According to the organisers, the purpose of the bike rally, inaugurated by City Police Officer (CPO) Sahibzada Bilal Umar, was to create awareness among women about their rights and empower them.

The rally started from D-Ground and concluded at the Police Khidmat Centre.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2025