LARKANA, March 1: A shutter-down strike was observed on Thursday in Ratodero to protest against the worsening law and order situation in Larkana and Shikarpur districts.

A procession, led by a leader of the PPP, Dr Shafqat Soomro, and the chairman of the Jeay SIndh Qaumi Mahaz, Bashir Khan Qureshi, was taken out to protest over the kidnapping of Naveed Soomro and the murder of a teacher, Abdul Qadir Jokhiyo, among other issues affecting the two districts.

Protesters converged at the main bus terminal after having marched through the city’s main roads.

They staged a sit-in at the Hayatwah village, located at the juncture between the Larkana-Shikarpur districts, blocking the Motorway and hindering the flow of traffic to and from Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar for at least four hours.

They lashed out at the police for not controlling the alarming rise in crime and maintenance of law and order, specially the recovery of the kidnapping victims, including Naveed Soomro, Mumtaz Markhyani and Gulbahar Ghanghro.

Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro, general secretary of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) Sindh, also joined in the protest.

The road blockage continued despite efforts of the TPO, Allahdino Junejo, and the DPO, Shikarpur, Abdul Khaliaque Shaikh, had to intervene to resolve the situation.