HYDERABAD, Nov 26: Activists of the cultural wing of the People's Party Parliamentarians, led by their provincial president Sarfaraz Rajar, held a demonstration and observed a hunger strike outside the press club here on Thursday to protest against curtailment in the Hyderabad radio station's broadcast frequencies.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Rajar said that the radio station was the voice of Sindh and since its inception its programmes were being heard throughout the province, from Karachi to Kashmor.

However, he deplored that its frequencies had recently been curtailed and the rural population has been deprived of listening to its programmes. He demanded that the frequencies should be restored failing which the PPP cultural wing would hold protest demonstrations throughout Sindh.

HCCI: The Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has demanded immediate release of the spirit dealers of Hyderabad who were arrested following the death of 22 persons due to consumption of poisonous liquor.

In a joint statement issued here on Thursday, the president of the chamber, Mehmood Ahmed, said that the arrest of the licensed spirit dealers was absolutely illegal.

He welcomed the statement of the provincial adviser for excise and taxation, M.A. Jalil, that the sale of the spirit cannot be banned. He said that the district police and the excise and taxation department held contradictory views on the spirit trade.

He demanded that police should take action against the manufacturers of illicit liquor. He said that the business community was no less concerned about the death of the innocent people but it was necessary that only the real culprits should be arrested.

PTCL CRITICIZED: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal MPA Abdul Rehman Rajput has criticized the performance of the PTCL and accused the company officials of corrupt practices.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, he alleged that new telephone connections were granted only after bargaining, no one ever attended 17 (inquiry) and a network fault was always attributed to cable fault with the result that the fault was not removed for days together.

He wondered as to why senior officers from other provinces were posted in Hyderabad when competent officers of equal grade were available in Sindh. He called on the federal minister for communication to post competent and honest officers in Hyderabad.

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