HYDERABAD, March 23 Officials of a construction company on Monday accused a group of activists of the ruling Pakistan People's Party of ransacking their office and robbing the company of Rs500,000 in cash and machinery worth millions of rupees.

The directors of M/S Qalandar Bux Abro and Company, Noorullah Abro, Ahmed Nawaz Abro and Shahnawaz Abro, said at a news conference at the press club that for quite some time, the group was trying to extort money in the name of their party from the company, which was working on the Ponam Chowk flyover project.

Noorullah Abro, who is director of administration of the company, said that on their refusal, the group issued them threats and on the night of March 21, a large number of activists attacked their office and took away folding pipe joints and pillion plates valued at tens of thousands of rupees.

He said that the DCO and police were informed about the incident but no action was taken against the extortionists. The following night on March 22, the extortionists struck again, ransacked the office and took away Rs500,000 in cash and machinery valued at million of rupees, he said.

He said they approached police again but they refused to register the FIR and only recorded an NC. The extortionists were against the development of Hyderabad and they were interested only in money, Mr Abro said.

He appealed to the president, prime minister, governor, chief minister, IGP Sindh and district nazim to take action against the group, provide protection to the company and recover the looted cash and machinery.

Mr Abro reluctantly told reporters that the extortionists belonged to the ruling Pakistan People's Party headed by one Tanveer Mallah.

To a question why such a huge amount of Rs500,000 had been kept in the office, he said that they did so on account of two successive public holidays as the company had to make payments to labourers.

About police refusal to register the FIR, Mr Abro said that they approached both Qasimabad and GOR Colony police but they only recorded NCs because they were afraid they would be transferred.