ISLAMABAD, Sept 15: Journalists and newspaper employees belonging to the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Friday staged a protest rally at the Parliament House to condemn Federal Minister for Labour Ghulam Sarwar Khan for ordering his bodyguards to beat up former PFUJ secretary-general C.R. Shamsi when the latter asked the minister to take steps for the implementation of the seventh wage board award.

The rally was led by the office-bearers of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ).

The speakers demanded registration of an FIR against the minister for the incident.

Hafiz Hussain Ahmed of the MMA, who also joined in the protest along with Haider Abbas Rizvi of the MQM, gave an eye- witness account of the incident in which Mr Shamsi was beaten up by the guards of the minister within the jurisdiction of the Parliament House on Wednesday.

The protesting journalists were carrying placards and also raised slogans against the government for its failure to implement the wage board award despite passage of about five years.

Hundreds of policemen and officials of other law enforcement agencies were also present on the occasion.

The policemen tried to stop the marchers at a couple of places, but later allowed them to reach the Parliament House.

Later, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Durrani also came to the protesters and promised them that the wage board award would be implemented before Eidul Fitr. He also offered apology on behalf of the labour minister.