HYDERABAD, June 28: The President of the Black Diamond Coal Company Workers Union, Lakhra coal field, Haji Aurangzeb and Chairman Muttahida Labour Federation, Mohammad Asif Khattak, have accused the company contractor of closing the mine which he had taken from the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) on lease and depriving the workers of their source of livelihood.

In a joint statement issued here on Thursday, they said that the contractor had also failed to pay the outstanding dues of the workers.

They said that the PMDC has been informed about the negative attitude of the contractor but without any response.They said that the contractor was destroying the precious coal deposits.

They appealed to the Chairman and Managing Director of PMDC and provincial Minister of Mineral Development, Irfanullah Marwat, to appoint a committee to probe into the alleged malpractices of the contractor.

They demanded that the lease of the present contractor should be cancelled and the contract should be awarded to some experienced person.

RALLY: A large number of PPP activists, including women staged a rally outside the Hyderabad press club on Thursday evening under the leadership of party MPA Zahid Ali Bhurgari, former Sindh minister Abdul Salam Thaheem, Amanullah Siyal, Usman Kennedy and others to protest against the propaganda launched by what they called a terrorist organisation in Karachi against Ms Benazir Bhutto.

They raised slogans against the said terrorist organisation and the government and in support of Benazir Bhutto.

They warned that propaganda against the party chairperson would never be tolerated and added that the peaceful policy of PPP should not be construed as its weakness.

They said that the said terrorist organisation should think twice before saying anything against Ms Bhutto.

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