JHANG, June 8: Old and dedicated party workers, who had so far been ignored and sidelined by the wrong policies of Benazir Bhutto, will be given important positions after the merger of the Patriots and the Sherpao groups.

This was said by PPP secretary-general and federal interior minister Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat while talking to Dawn. The minister said workers were the greatest asset of the party and it was owing to the sacrifices rendered by them that the People's Party was able to weather many a storm and survived as a political entity till now.

NAZIM CRITICIZED: Residents of several drought-hit villages have criticized district Nazim Sultan Hameed for not including their areas in the list of the calamity-stricken. A list of the affected villages has been sent to the Punjab government for the postponement of loans and abiana recovery.

They alleged that the Nazim had only recommended the villages which fell in the NA constituency, from where his son-in-law, Mehboob Sultan, was elected as MNA. The residents have demanded a survey prior to declaring any area calamity-ridden.