HYDERABAD, Dec 4: About one hundred activists of Sindh Taraqqi Passand Party led by Syed Mehboob Shah and others staged a token hunger strike outside the Hyderabad press club here on Tuesday.

They were protesting against the atrocities unleashed by the superintendent of central prison Hyderabad, Altaf Awan, against the prisoners.

Talking to newsmen, Mr Shah accused Altaf Awan of playing with the lives of the nationalist leaders and other prisoners.

He said, “the so-called search operation in central jail Hyderabad is aimed at harassing and intimidating the political prisoners and this speaks volumes for the fascist mentality of Altaf Awan, who is the son of Punjabi Pakhtoon Ittehad chief Ghulam Sarwar Awan.”

He demanded that the search operation should be immediately stopped, political and other prisoners kept in solitary confinement should be transferred to barracks and the prisoners shifted to Karachi should be brought back to Hyderabad central jail.

The STPP leader also demanded that the prisoners should be provided facilities according to the jail manual.

JSQM: The spokesman of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM), Dr Zulfiqar Panhwar has said that the political prisoners shifted from Hyderabad central Jail to central jail Karachi and Landhi jail were being tortured and they were not being allowed to meet their relatives.

In a statement here, he said that these prisoners were even not allowed access to other prisoners and claimed that the lives of political prisoners in Karachi jail were in grave danger.

He demanded that the torture of prisoners should be stopped.

SPYO-SB: A central leader of Sindh Peoples Youth Organisation (SB), Mohammad Ibrahim Umrani has said that he had not been allowed to meet his brother Ameer Bux Umrani, a central leader of PPP(SB) and one of the prisoners shifted to Landhi jail from Hyderabad.

In a statement here, Mr Umrani said that the superintendent of Landhi jail had informed him that he was under strict orders not to allow anyone to meet Ameer Bux.

He alleged that his brother was kept in solitary confinement though he was seriously ill and had been given ‘B’ class by court.

He said that the chief medical officer of central prison Hyderabad and professor of medicine, LUMHS, Dr Anwar Memon had given a report that Ameer Bux should be admitted to Liaquat University Hospital for medical treatment but instead he was transferred to Landhi jail.

He warned that if any harm came to his brother, the responsibility will rest with the superintendents of central jail Hyderabad and Landhi jail, IG jails Sindh and Sindh government.

Mr Umrani appealed to the president, chief justices of the Supreme Court and Sindh High Court, human rights organizations, intellectuals and lawyer community to raise voice against torture of his brother and other political prisoners in Hyderabad and Karachi jails.