MARDAN, April 25 Residents of Hatian held a protest demonstration here on Saturday against the killing of two daily wage earners of Mardan in Gujjar Khan, Punjab allegedly by a local feudal lord a week ago.

Five daily wage earners of Jewar village, 35 kilometres from Mardan, went to Gujjar Khan, for harvesting wheat crop where a local feudal lord, Fahad Rashid, developed some dispute with them.

Rashid reportedly asked the daily wage earners to harvest his wheat crop first, but they insisted that they harvest the wheat crop of another local landlord in the area, as promised with him.

Their refusal infuriated Rashid who allegedly ran his car over them. As a result Hazrat Nabi and Mohammad Umar died on the spot, while three others sustained injuries. Jatli police have lodged FIR against the accused. However, the accused is still at large.

The nazims, elders and residents of Hatian and adjacent villages led by former legislators Haji Sarfaraz Khan and Haji Bahader Khan staged a protest rally outside the Mardan Press Club against the alleged murder of the labourers.

They demanded of both the NWFP and Punjab governments to take prompt action and arrest of the accused immediately. They also demanded compensation for the victim families.—Correspondent