KARACHI, May 23: The Pakhtun Action Committee (Loya Jirga) on Wednesday deferred its three-day strike plan after the assurances given by high-ups of the Sindh government.

PAC Chairman Shahi Syed, after eight-hour deliberations spread over three sessions, announced the decision at a crowded press conference. He gave two weeks to the government for the acceptance of their demands and said if the demands were not met, they would observe a strike from June 8 to 10. They had earlier called for a strike from May 25 to 27.

In reply to a question, he said the PAC had deferred the strike in the best interest of the city and the community as this time they were given assurances at the highest level that their demands would be considered sympathetically and would be met within 14 days.

He was asked to specify the authority which had made the assurance but the PAC chief said that this time very high officials had given the assurances whose identity could not be made public.

When asked if the governor, who paid a visit in the morning to the Mardan House to offer condolences to ANP chief Asfandyar Wali, was among those who had given the assurance Mr Syed said he did say that this city belonged to not any particular community but all those who lived here.

He said they believed in a peaceful struggle for the solution of problems and were prepared to hold talks with anyone “who spoke the truth’.

Mr Syed said their major demands included payment of adequate compensation to the families of the dead and injured of the May 12 mayhem. By adequate amounts the PAC meant Rs800,000 to Rs1 million each for those killed and Rs100,000 for the injured.

He thanked all parties and organisations which supported them in their strike call given to protest against the bloodshed in Karachi on May 12 when law-enforcement agencies personnel had vanished from the city, leaving it to terrorists and plunderers.

Circles close to the PAC meeting said that their other demands included that Pakhtun katchi abadis be not disturbed, compensation be paid to transporters whose vehicles had been burnt and that police stop harassing the drivers.

The sources said the reliable authority had told the PAC leaders that certain elements had hatched a conspiracy , under the cover of a strike, to push the city into chaos and disturb the peaceful atmosphere. The authority asked the PAC leaders to help foil the conspiracy by calling off their scheduled strike and that they would see to it that their genuine demands were met.

He was also asked if the chief justice was invited to visit Karachi again his community would welcome him, Mr Syed said that any decision in this regard could be taken by the Jirga alone.

The PAC was under mounting pressure from the trading community and businessman to review its three-day strike decision.

The sources also said that the government authority had also given the assurance that they would ensure that in the future the Muttahida Qaumi Movement would cooperate with the APC.