LARKANA, Oct 25: The Larkana Jewellers Association called off its weeklong strike on Saturday at the end of talks with a 10-member police team who assured the association of early recovery of the robbed ornaments.

The team led by in-charge of CIA met with the association leaders, sought some time to recover the looted ornaments and urged jewellers to end the strike.

The association later announced calling-off strike and reopened shops after a week. They had gone on strike in protest against a robbery that took place about 10 days ago when three jewellers were deprived of 933 grams of gold ornaments while returning from Karachi.—BoC

Recently, Sindh chief minister took notice of the strike and formed a team headed by Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro to hold talks with strikers. The CM’s team met with the association and traders’ organisations on Wednesday and asked them to call off strike but they refused and went ahead to observe strike in Larkana on Thursday.

The team did have a small victory though as it succeeded in developing a dent among traders when the Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) lent support to government’s move.

The jewellers association held a general body meeting on Saturday inn which its president Abdul Sattar Shaikh submitted report on talks with police team and decided to call off the strike.

Mr Shaikh said that that the association had given 15 days to police to recover the looted ornaments and arrest the culprits.

Meanwhile, Ghinwa Bhutto, chairperson of PPP-SB, visited the office of the jewellers association and expressed displeasure over the robbery. She deplored poor law and order in Larkana and assured the association of taking up the issue at all forums.