HYDERABAD, May 5: The widow and son of the noted folk singer the late Faqir Abdul Ghafoor, on behalf of folk artists of Sindh, have appealed to the Sindh governor to reinstate Abdul Hameed Akhund as provincial culture secretary.

They threatened that if Mr Akhund was not reinstated, folk artists of the province would observe hunger strike till death outside the governor’s house in Karachi.

Speaking at a news conference at the local press club on Monday, Sharifan and her son, Sarwar Ghafoor, appreciated the Sindh governor’s announcement of granting financial assistance to popular comedian Lehri and renowned singer Mehdi Hasan.

Appreciating the services of Mr Akhund for the promotion of folk arts of Sindh, they pointed out that he had managed to introduce the singers of the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Sohrab Faqir, Mai Allah Wasai, Waheed Ali and others on the international scene.

They said that Mr Akhund had rendered yeomen services for the culture of Sindh irrespective of the fact whether he was the secretary of the culture department or not.

The heirs of Faqir Abdul Ghafoor said that they had not received stipend for the last two years and appealed to the Sindh governor to ensure the payment of the stipend and also provide them a house.

Meanwhile, the president of the Pakistan Heritage Preservation and Promotion Society, Momin Bullo, has also criticised the removal of Mr Akhund from the post of secretary, Sindh culture and tourism department, and demanded his reinstatement