SUKKUR Feb 28: Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Mahar has directed the police authorities to initiate action against those SHOs and TPOs, who fail to maintain law and order in their areas.

He was addressing an open kutchehry in Mahar House, Ghotki on Friday.

A large number of people from different parts of Ghotki and Sukkur districts participated in the open kutchehry and informed the chief minister about deteriorating law and order situation in upper Sindh.

Participants also complained about rampant unemployment.

Responding to their complaints, the chief minister said that action would be taken against the SHO and the TPO who fail to control crime in their areas.

He said that the ban on jobs was going to be lifted and recruitment in different government departments would begin soon on merits.

Besides, he said that he had held meetings with officials of multinational companies of Ghotki and other parts of Sindh and they assured him that only local people would be recruited in their companies.

Mr Mahar denied that horse-trading had taken place in the Senate elections, saying that it was merely an allegation levelled by the defeated parties.

He also denied that any difference existed between the Sindh Governor and him.

MURDER BY POLICEMEN: Hundreds of protesters blocked the Indus Highway near Kandhkot on Friday following the murder of a villager by seven policemen of the Masjid checkpost, Kandhkot.

Some villagers were on their way to Akhero village on Thursday night.

The policemen assumed that they were outlaws and opened fire at them.

As a result, Nihal Lashari, 44, was killed on the spot and others saved their lives by jumping into a nearby canal.

The TPO, Kandhkot, reached on the spot after the incident but refused to register an FIR or arrest any policeman involved in the firing and instead allowed the policemen to flee.

On Friday morning, the residents of Akhero village, mostly Lashari tribesmen, carrying body of deceased, blocked the highway for several hours.

The DPO, Jacobabad, Agha Tahir, and the district Nazim, Shabbir Ali Bijarani, arrived at the spot and negotiated with the protesters.

They assured them that the responsible policemen would be arrested, a member of family of the deceased would be recruited in the police and a suitable compensation would also be given to the heirs of the deceased, on which the protesters ended the blockade.

A police sources said that an FIR against official in charge of the police picket, Pir Bukhsh Sanjrani, and others, was registered with the Kandhkot police on the complaint of Ghulam Rasool.

According to the complainant, the other policemen were identified as Wali Mohammad Sanjrani, Abdul Jabbar, Alam Khan, Nasrullah, Ali Asghar and Ahmed Din.