LARKANA:Over 200 preachers were sent by SSP Larkana Masood Bangash in police mobiles late last night to Sukkur under tight security without conducting their test where they were handed over to SSP Irfan Samo who ordered to keep them at a mosque located in SITE area.
Samo confirmed the news while talking to newsmen here Sunday that all of them had been kept in a Sukkur mosque and relevant health department authorities had been asked to conduct their COVID19 test. He said they belonged to different areas of the country and cops had been deployed for their security.
Meanwhile, a partial lockdown was observed in Larkana on seventh day. Shops remained closed as per the directions of the provincial government from 5 pm to 8 am and then only grocery, meat and fish shops were seen opened. Major markets, including Resham Gali, Pakistan Chowk, Bundar Road, Shahi Bazaar, Bank Square, Empire Road, Lahori Muhalla, Bakrani Road and others remained closed. Cops and security personnel remained deployed and alert on all major roads and roundabouts and no irrelevant person or vehicle was allowed to move freely. However, shops remained opened in thickly populated areas where citizens without fear of law continued their traditional joint sessions and gatherings as shops there remained open.
On the other hand, many poverty-stricken people held protest demos in front of local press club against non-supply of government’s ration package to them. These included Luhar Colony’s Reshman Shaikh, Waheeda Shaikh, Shan Khatoon, Firdous Shaikh; Peoples Colony’s Ambreen Khatoon; Gareeb Abad’s Noor Jahan Shaikh, Noor Jahan Pitafi, Halima Shaikh, Rashid Korai, Ali Bux Shaikh; Murad Wahan’s Nizamuddin Jatoi, Zafar Magsi and others.
The protesting women complained that after enforcement of lockdown, all their men have become jobless. They said if their men are going out to earn livelihood then they are beaten by the cops. They said since last six days they have been eating what they had in their houses and now they don’t have enough even to feed their little kids not to talk of elders. They said their children are constantly weeping due to hunger but no ration has been supplied to them which was announced by the Sindh government nor any financial help has been made to them.
The protesting men said that they are daily waging labourers and due to lockdown all works have been closed hence they have been rendered unemployed and helpless. They alleged that relevant Union Committee Chairmen have also ignored them and they have included names of their relatives and near and dear ones. They said that finding no other way they have reached here to make a complaint to higher authorities through media persons so that they could come out, see their plight and support us. They urged PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and other higher authorities to give them ration during lockdown period so that our kids could be fed.
Meanwhile, dwellers living in their makeshift houses along with their poor families near Railway Station have also demanded ration due to lockdown. Juman Jamali, Azhar Khoso, Javed, Wahid Bux and others said that due to complete lockdown they have been unable to do their daily labour work hence they have nothing to eat now. They also demanded government help.
On the other hand, police manhandled two journalists for violating lockdown despite the fact that provincial government has allowed media persons to discharge their professional duties. Raja Magsi and Munwar Rind were separately intercepted by Civil Lines police station cops. Larkana journalists have strongly condemned this irresponsible act saying that cops are hiding their negligence in properly enforcing lockdown in the city, villages and rural areas of the district. They demanded of DIGP and SSP to take stern action against the negligent policemen.