TOBA TEK SINGH, Aug 3: Gojra police on Thursday arrested 26 powerloom workers on the charge of forcing owners to close their factories.

Reports said that dozens of workers in a procession went to factories in different localities of the town and asked their fellow workers to continue strike. In the meantime, a police party baton-charged workers forcing them to disperse.

While office-bearers of the Awami Jamhoori Party, National Workers Party and Labour Party said in a press statement that workers, already on strike for the last 21 days, were also observing a hunger strike at Post Office Chowk.

They alleged that when workers reached the hunger strike camp, police demolished the camp, resorted to baton-charge and arrested over 35 workers.

They threatened to launch a movement in all towns of the district if the police continued supporting powerloom owners.

Police have registered cases against the arrested workers under 16 MPO.

Breast-feeding: The Human Development Centre and Women Helping Women organisations have launched a week-long campaign to create awareness about `breast feeding’ in Toba and Jhang districts in collaboration with the World Alliance for Breastfeeding (WABA).

Around 166 mothers belonging to both villages and Toba town also attended the seminar here on Thursday.

Women Empowerment Programme coordinator Mrs Rafia Ashfaq said that the main objective of the drive was to provide information to women about the importance of feeding by mothers and its good results.

She said that the mother’s feeding was important for the growth of newborn babies. Multinational companies were responsible for depriving babies of their natural feed as they invested heavily for the sale of their products through attractive ads and schemes.

Gynaecologist Dr Farzana Khalid advised the women that mothers should feed their babies as it keeps the children healthy and save them from many diseases as well.