NAWABSHAH, March 26: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that those who have sent threatening letters to Sassui Palijo and other women MPAs are enemies of the state, pledging that they would be brought to justice.

Talking to journalists after offering condolence with Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, PPP leader and president of district bar association on the death of his brother here on Monday, Mr Shah claimed that law and order in the province was much better than today than in past.

He said when he took over as chief minister there were more than 78 abductees in the clutches of kidnappers and their figure had now dropped to just 24.

Karachi’s situation kept changing because number of criminals in the mega city was much higher than those of other cities and the government was making serious efforts to curb them by taking all allies on board.

Earlier, addressing an award distribution ceremony at Shaheen Vocational Training Institute, Mr Shah said the establishment of such institutes was a dream of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. Mohtarma Bhutto wanted to arm the jobless youth in the latest skills so that they could play a productive role in the country’s development.

He said that this government had fulfilled Ms Bhutto’s dream by launching the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Youth Development Programme and training a large number of people in different skills. A number of talented youths trained under the programmehad also made it to the Pakistan Air Force, he said.

He said that President Asif Ali Zardari took personal interest in the establishment of vocational training institute in Nawabshah and urged the PAF to open similar centres in other districts of the province to help overcome joblessness.

Senior staff officer of PAF Naveed Khalid and principal of the institute Rana Farooq Zahid also addressed on the occasion.

The chief minister distributed shields and certificates among successful candidates who had passed courses in carpentry, office management and machinery skills and also inaugurated Pakistan Air Force Information Centre.

Sindh Minister for Special Education Abdul Salam Thaheem, PPP leaders Ghulam Qadir Chandio and Imdad Dhamrah accompanied the chief minister.

PROTEST: A large number of sacked employees of Pakistan Railways held a demonstration outside the press club demanding reinstatement.

The protesters Rehmatullah, Qurban Ali and Roshan Ali said that a large number of employees in ASM group were sacked in 1992 by Nawaz Sharif government as part of his government’s political victimisation.

They said the government had reinstated all the employees sacked by Nawaz government except the railways employees, whichwas an injustice.

They demanded the president and prime minister should direct the railway authorities to issue orders for their reinstatement.