LAYYAH, May 18 The lessees of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) forced on Tuesday the authorities to postpone the auction of 2,000 acres located in 21 villages.

Tenants thrashed the participants of the auction forcing the authorities to postpone the bidding to avert any untoward situation.

According to the documents seen by Dawn, the ETPB advertised the auction of 2,000 acres located in Chaks 137, 143, 145, 146, 150, 151, 155, 154, 154-A, 280, 281, 278, 100-B TDA and Dullo, Lohanch Nashaib, Thal Jandi, Thal Kilan, Bate Guji and Khokhar Isra Nashaib.

Tenants' leader Mulazim Husain Cheena said they had been cultivating the land for decades and through auctions the land would go to the haves and outsiders as the tenants were not rich enough to win the bids.

Pakistan People's Party MPA Sardar Iftikhar Babar Khitran also joined the protesters and staged a sit-in at the auction site. Mr Khitran said the PPP would protect the interest of landless people.

ETPB Assistant Director Muhammad Ismaeel said 65 local bidders had been registered for the auction but tenants were against the registration of non-resident bidders. He said the auction would be held on May 26.

INJURED A doctor opened fire and injured a man in Chowk Azam when a mob was protesting the blockade of a public passage on Tuesday.

Ejaz Ahmed Gill, former town committee chairman, said Dr Ghulam Abbas, medical officer of Chowk Azam Rural Health Centre (RHC), had barricaded the passage in a neighbourhood adjacent to RHC a couple of weeks ago. He claimed the passage was being used by the residents for the last many decades. He said though the municipality had demolished the blockade, the doctor erected hurdles again creating inconvenience to about 8,000 residents.

When residents started protest against him, Dr Abbas allegedly opened fire and injured one protester, Muhammad Abbas. The injured was admitted to the RHC for treatment

On the complaint of Ejaz Gill, Chowk Azam police registered a case against Dr Abbas, Ghulam Murtaza, Abdul Sattar, Imtiaz Ali, Muhammad Naveed and four other unidentified persons. Police arrested Dr Abbas.—Correspondent