HYDERABAD, Dec 15 The dispute between Noonaris and Sirhindis, which started over a petty issue a couple of days ago, risks plunging peaceful Tando Mohammad Khan town into a fully-fledged tribal war after large-scale arrests of Noonaris and involvement of nationalist parties leaders who term police action biased and unilateral.

The dispute erupted when two Noonaris on a motorcycle exchanged hot words with Pir Ahmed Jan Sirhindi, son of former chairman of Hyderabad district council, whose car was stuck in a traffic jam at a busy junction in the town on Thursday.

The incident soon spiralled into a clash between the two communities and they started tit-for-tat attacks.

On Friday, Sirhindis attacked the house of Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party leader Dr Ahmed Noonari with firearms and the same day police rounded up more than 20 Noonaris, most of whom were members of STP.

The STP chairman Dr Qadir Magsi termed police operation against Noonaris as an undeclared crackdown against the workers to crush the party.

He said at a news conference at the Hyderabad press club on Monday that T.M. Khan and Badin police had unleashed terror against party activists and arrested their parents and relatives.

Mr Magsi said that T.M. Khan DPO Attaullah Chandio had facilitated 40 armed men of Sirhindis who laid siege to Dr Ahmed Noonari's house and kept firing on it for an hour.

He said that police had refused to register an FIR and expressed surprise over Hyderabad DIG Sanaullah Abbasi's silence over the incident.

Mr Abbasi, who was an honest officer, should better leave the post to save his reputation, he said.

He said that police had taken no time in submitting a challan in the Anti Terrorism Court of Badin and sending STP workers to jail.

The vice-chairman of the Sindh National Party Ashraf Noonari, who is also general secretary of Noonari Welfare Association warned authorities and Sirhindi community that if operation was not stopped and the arrested Noonaris were not released, the SNP and the Noonaris association would hold demonstrations across Sindh from Dec 17.

He said at a news conference that Sindh had been handed over to a handful of Pirs, Mirs and waderas and several districts had been given in the control of waderas and Pirs under a planned conspiracy.

He said that the peaceful district had been made a no-go-area for the Noonaris and accused Pir Khalid Jan Sirhindi and Pir Fareed Jan Sirhindi, who was DPO in another district, of launching operation against Noonaris.

He said that besides STP leader Dr Ahmed Noonari and his brother Basheer Ahmed, more than 100 Noonari men had been arrested who were being held incommunicado.

He urged all democratic and nationalist forces, human rights organisations and authorities concerned to take notice of the incident and help stop a minor dispute turned from turning into a tribal war.

He appealed to the governor of Sindh, chief minister and IGP to play their role to defuse tension in the town and demanded that DPO Attaullah Chandio be placed under suspension and an impartial inquiry be held into the dispute.

Mr Ashraf Noonari advised Sirhindis to refrain from showing off their muscle, otherwise, they would have to be responsible for the consequences.

He warned that if operation against Noonaris was not stopped and the arrested men were not released, the SNP and Noonari association would hold demonstrations throughout Sindh from Dec 17.

In Badin, a large number of STP workers led by Shahnawaz Siyal and Hyder Panhwar held a demonstration on Hyderabad road and demanded that police release their co-workers.

The party leaders demanded withdrawal of cases lodged against party workers and threatened that they would con- tinue protests till the release of their colleagues.

Dr Noonari said that police had arrested 26 persons including an 80 years old man.