GILGIT, Aug 3: Hundreds of employees of public works department and Water and Sanitation Agency took to streets on Friday against non-payment of salaries for past four months.

Police escorted the protestors throughout their march to avoid an untoward incident. The workers also observed a sit-in and marched towards the chief minister secretariat.

While speaking on the occasion, the labourers’ leaders said they were without salaries for the past four months, making them unable to pay school fee of their children and buy even items of daily use. They warned if their salaries were not paid they will go on an indefinite strike.

The Minister for Excise and Taxation Mohammad Naseer met with the protesters and assured them that their salaries would be paid within three days.

STUDENT KILLED: Unidentified gunmen shot dead a student of class 9th in the suburbs of Sharote village, some 30km off Gilgit, when he was in fields watering the crops after Iftar, police said. Police identified the victim as Ghulam Mustafa.

His body was brought to DHQ hospital for post-mortem and later handed over to family. Police registered case and started investigations.

Meanwhile, a young boy drowned in the Ghizer River while swimming at Singal village of Ghizer district. His body was yet to be recovered.

Meanwhile, reports reaching here said a married woman committed suicide in remote Phandar valley by hanging herself with roof fan.

Police brought her body to civil hospital Gupis where post-mortem was carried out and later body was handed over to legal heirs.

LAWLESSNESS: Senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N Fida Mohammad Nashad has said the constituency of Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah has become Liyari of Karachi where lawlessness was increasing with each passing day.

Mr Fida alleged that corruption, nepotism and favouritism had become hallmarks of the government.—Corrrespondent