HYDERABAD, July 14: A large number of local government leaders and councillors of different union councils under the banner of Councillors' Unity Forum staged a demonstration outside the press club here on Wednesday.

They were protesting against the non-payment of honorarium to councillors. Some councillors, City Taluka Nazim Haji Moin Shaikh and Naib Nazim Qadeer Nagar observed a token hunger strike in support of councillors' demand.

Speaking on the occasion, the city Taluka nazim said that councillors' demand for honorarium was genuine and called upon the government not to discriminate between councillors of Karachi and Hyderabad.

Mr Shaikh claimed that councillors of Karachi were being paid honorarium regularly. Similarly, he said, Karachi's union councils' nazims were being paid Rs7,000 per month whereas in Hyderabad they only received Rs3,000 per month.

He said that there was a vast difference in the case of naib nazims also. He demanded that councillors should also be paid honorarium at the rate of Rs2,500 per month. He offered his full support to protesting councillors.

Councillors' Unity Forum chairman Younus Qureshi urged District Nazim Makhdoom Rafiqzzaman to get honorarium approved as he had done in the case of nazims and naib nazims. He said that councillors would continue their protest till the acceptance of their demand.

PHRF: Activists of the Pakistan Human Rights Foundation staged a protest demonstration outside the local press club against Sindh revenue minister Imtiaz Shaikh. They carried placards and banners inscribed with different slogans against the minister.

Speaking on the occasion, Mehboob Sangi alleged that some people close to the minister had sold out two plots of the irrigation department. He said that he was being threatened by the henchmen of the minister with dire consequences.

SNF: Activists of Sindh National Front staged a demonstration outside the local press club against the murder of SNF leader Chacha Khushnood Ahmed. Speaking on the occasion, the central general secretary of the front, Gul Mohammad Jakhrani warned the government that if murderers of Khushnood were not arrested, a series of demonstrations would be held throughout Sindh.

He said that Mr Ahmed was murdered in broad day light by terrorists for opening a party office in the Lines Area. He said that terrorists in Karachi had been given a licence to kill.

He said that murders of MPA Abdullah Murad, Munawar Suharwardy and Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai were only few examples of terrorist killings. He said that if the government could not control terrorists' activities then it had no right to remain in power. Wali Jamali, Parial Bughio and others also spoke on the occasion.