MIRPURKHAS, April 25: A farmer and his two sisters staged a token hunger strike outside the local press club on Monday in protest against an influential landlord who, he alleged, had occupied his land.

Ghulam Mustafa Junejo and his sisters, Sodhi and Niamat, said that the landlord’s armed men who they identified as Mehrab, Mohram, Master Amin, Nimro, Gul Mohammad alias Gulloo, Khamiso and Arbab Junejo had forcibly occupied their six acres of land in Deh Cheelyoon, Pithoro taluka, a fortnight ago.

The gunmen who took positions at the occupied land were forcing them not to work on their land, they said adding that they were receiving threats to leave the village.

They said that they sought police help against the landlord but the in-charge of the at the police check post, Pithoro, Ayub Kumbhar, refused to register a case and instead threatened to implicate them in false cases.

They demanded the Sindh governor, the chief minister, the chief justice of the Sindh High Court, the PPO and the RPO of Hyderabad direct police to file an FIR and provide them protection from the landlord and his men.

EXPELLED FROM PML-F: The chief of Pakistan Muslim League (Functional), Pir Pagara, expelled Shaikh Siraj for violating party discipline, says a statement issued here on Monday.

PML-F spokesman Basheer Ahmed said that some newspapers published news a few days back which referred to Shaikh Siraj as central organizer the PML-F though he had been expelled from the party.

BOY KILLED: A speeding truck killed an eight-year-old boy, Dodo, near Sabzi Mandi Chowk on Jhuddo-Digri Road.