HYDERABAD, Jan 30: Activists of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz and leaders of the local community called off protest sit-in at the Tando Alam oilfield after the OGDCL administration sought time up to Feb 28 to resolve the issue of employment for locals.

The JSQM had given a call for a protest sit-in outside the gate of the Tando Alam oilfield to demand jobs for locals in the oilfield. A heavy contingent of police was deployed to avoid any damage to the oilfield.

The federally controlled OGDCL administration heard protesters passionately and offered talks with the JSQM leader. Those selected for the talks from the party include JSQM vice-chairman Dr Niaz Kalani, Sagar Burdi, Murtaza Mughal, Gul Hassan and Yaqoob.

As a result the protesters called off protest and dispersed peacefully. They also delivered a 12-point charter of demands to the OGDCL which would be discussed on Feb 28. Speaking on the occasion, the JSQM leaders warned that if the demands were not accepted on Feb 28, the protests would be held not only at oilfields but across Sindh.

PROTEST: A large number of bangle factory workers observed a token hunger strike on Sunday outside the press club in protest against factory owners. Union leaders Masood Khan, Ajmal Khan and Rehan Yousufzai said the owners had declared an illegal lockout, rendering thousands of workers jobless.

They accused the labour department of supporting the factory owners and said the workers were neither being issued attendance cards nor the social security cards. They said there was no record of their employment as a result they had been deprived of their rights. They urged the government to take notice of unfair labour practices by the factory owners.