HYDERABAD, Oct 24: Former Sindh minister Altaf Hussain Unnar started hunger strike in the central prison on Friday after he was put in solitary confinement by the jail superintendent, said a PML-Q office-bearer Babu Sarwar Siyal.

Siyal, who is the former ruling party’s central executive committee member, said that the solitary confinement was in violation of a court order, which allowed the inmate, who was a cardiac and sugar patient, B-Class.

Unnar and his co-accused in the case, Misri Khoso, and many prisoners belonging to Pakistan People’s Party-Shaheed Bhutto had also supported him, he said.

He demanded that the jail authorities should grant him B-class as allowed by the court.

Unnar was confined in central prison in a case of attempted murder of PPP MNA Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho. She was allegedly fired upon by Unnar and other accused on Feb 10, 2007 outside a polling station during bye-elections for PS-71 Jamshoro (Dadu-I).—Staff correspondent