ISLAMABAD, June 25: Poli-tical parties and workers’ organisations on Wednesday condemned firing on power loom workers in Faisalabad by a provincial lawmaker that injured scores of them as they held a peaceful demonstration for their rights.

The National Workers Party (NWP) leaders Yousuf Mastikhan (secretary-general), Masoodul Hassan, Iqbal Bali, Aftab Shiekh and Naeem Shakir, in a statement here, condemned the “brutalities” by a PML provincial lawmaker against power loom workers and sought an inquiry into the incident.

They said the owner of the power loom and his guards should be punished for opening fire on workers and injuring scores of them for seeking an increase in wages.

They also asked the government to discontinue the anti- labour policies of the former PML government and protect the rights of the working class.

They also demanded abolition of infamous Industrial Relations Ordinance 2002 and other anti-labour laws, besides seeking increase in the wages of the workers.

According to reports, the factory owner, Asif Jamal, directed his guards to open fire on 300 workers who were on strike outside the factory.

Seven workers were shot and injured. Two of them are stated to be in critical condition.

Almost half of the power loom workers in Faisalabad, the city with the largest textile industry, were on strike for the last two days. The police have arrested the MPA and nine others and recovered 15 sophisticated weapons from the factory.

People’s Rights Movement (PRM), Trade Union Rights Campaign, Railways Worker Union, All-Pakistan Alliance of Katchi Abadis and other workers organisations have also condemned the incident.

The representatives of the workers organisations demanded the immediate arrest of the responsible persons.

They also demanded of the provincial government to heed the demands put forth by the representative organization of power loom workers, Labour Qaumi Movement (LQM) and take measures to provide protection to workers under existing national and international labour laws.

Zahoor Khan, Azad Qadri, Raja Jamil Satti and Rukhsana Qazi in their joint statement said that the firing incident speaks volumes of the plight of the working class.

They said that each government signs countless international conventions on labour rights but none were implemented.

The labour leaders asked the government to discontinue neo- liberal policies.

The labour leaders warned to organise protests in front of Parliament building in Islamabad if action was not taken against the MPA and other factory owners who, they said, committed brutalities against peaceful workers.