LARKANA, July 14: Under the banner of the City Action Committee, a procession was taken out here on Wednesday in protest against police failure to recover a kidnapped rice trader and deteriorating law and order situation in the district.

The leaders of different trade organizations, the Pakistan Medical Association and Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry led the procession. The procession emerged from the Hindu Dhramshala and marched on main roads of the city, with the participants carrying banners and placards and raising slogans against the kidnapping of Mr Santosh Kumar, also the president of the local Hindu Panchayat.

The protesters also staged a sit-in at the Pakistan Chowk and held a demonstration outside the district council hall. Those who spoke on the occasion, deplored poor law and order situation in the district and criticized the performance of the Larkana police.

Holding police responsible for rising crime in the district, they announced that they would continue the protest till the recovery of the trader. Later, around 100 people, including members of Hindu community and activists the City Action Committee, observed a token hunger strike outside the local press club.

MILL CLOSURE: Meanwhile, the Sindh Baluchistan Rice Millers and Traders Association has announced a protest programme against the kidnapping and lawlessness. Gada Hussain Mahesar, the president of the association, in a press statement here on Wednesday, said that rice mills would remain closed in the district on Saturday.

In the second phase, he claimed that around 750 mills in Sindh and Baluchistan would be closed for a day and finally the millers would go on an indefinite strike. Mr Mahesar said that law and order situation in Sindh continued to deteriorate which had rendered law-abiding residents, and particularly businessmen, insecure.

He said that rice traders had been special targets of kidnappers, several of them had been kidnapped and had paid ransom to secure their release. Those who failed to pay ransom, he added, had been killed. He appealed the president and the Sindh chief minister to come to the rescue of people of Sindh.