Protesters barred from reaching PA

The police barred on Thursday the employees of the Sindh Irrigation Department from reaching the Sindh Assembly, where they had planned to stage a demonstration after four days of protest outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC).

The protesters, comprising those posted in the irrigation department's water management division, had announced the previous day that they would stage a protest outside the provincial assembly to voice their demand of regularisation.

According to them, besides those working in the water management division, scores of daily wage workers in the department have also not been made permanent.

The protesters said that 650 grade-one officers had not been regularised since 2005, adding that they had been assured by the Sindh government multiple time of being made permanent, but the promises remained unfulfilled.

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As they moved towards the Sindh Assembly on the fifth day of the protest, they were stopped by the police and city administration.

Following that, a round of negotiations took place between the authorities and the protesters, which proved futile.

The protesters then crossed the barriers placed by the authorities, but were again stopped at Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi Chowrangi, where a large contingent of police was deployed.

Around 5pm, the relevant authorities again proposed negotiation with the protesters, at which the irrigation department employees returned to the KPC.

During the protest, some of them fell sick and were shifted to hospitals.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2021.