LARKANA, May 17 Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz chairman Basheer Khan Qureshi said on Monday that despite Supreme Court having taken suo motu notice of enforced disappearance of party leader Akash Mallah and worker Noor Mohammad Khaskheli, the government was not ready to release them.

Addressing participants of a procession at Royal Chowk here, Mr Qureshi said that he feared threat to their lives and alleged that the government was trying to release accused in JSQM worker Mushtaque Khaskheli's murder case. Khaskheli was killed when a procession led by him in Karachi in July last year was fired upon.

Activists of JSQM held demonstrations across the province to voice protest against enforced disappearances of their colleagues and undue delay in dispensation of justice in Khaskheli murder case.

Mr Qureshi said that certain conspirators were out to create a rift among Sindhi leadership.

He criticised local Hesco managers for what he saw as artificial power shutdown of 14 to 16 hours. It had compounded hardships for people and inflicted huge losses on traders, he said.

He urged Hesco managers to stop loadshedding in Larkana and other parts of the province and warned that JSQM workers and general public would surround the office of the superintendent engineer of Hesco if duration of loadshedding was not reduced.

A complete strike was observed in Larkana on a call given by the local chapter of the JSQM. All main trade centres remained shut and traffic was thin on the roads.

In Hyderabad, JSQM workers took out a procession and held a demonstration outside the press club.

They criticised acute shortage of water and artificial power loadshedding in Sindh, warning if their demands were not accepted the party would launch a movement throughout the province.

In Nawabshah, JSQM activists held a demonstration outside the press club.

Local leaders of the party said that Akash and Noor Mohammed had been missing for a long time and alleged that they were picked up by agencies.

In Naushahro Feroze, Moro, Tharushah, Bhirya city, Kandiaro, Mehrabpur and in other towns of the district JSQM activists took out processions and held demonstrations