Flood survivors in Thul demand Watan cards

Residents in Thul protest against union council not being included in list of flood-hit areas.

SUKKUR: Residents in Thul protested against their union council not being included in the list of flood-hit areas.

Responding to the call of the All Shahree Action Committee, a complete shutter-down strike was observed in the town. All main bazaars and business centres, including Shahi Bazaar, the cloth market, Sarafa Bazaar, Hindu Mohalla, Riaz Chowk, Rehbar Chowk and Jungal Morr, remained closed throughout the day.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people took part in a rally led by the action committee leaders Jawed Anwar Channa, Arbab Soomro and Lutufullah Lashari. Starting from the main bazaar, they chanted slogans against the government and reached Rehbar Chowk, where they staged a demonstration.

Protesters also burnt tyres at the Thul-Jacobabad road and blocked traffic for around two hours.

Talking to media, the protesters said that before the flood hit, the government had issued countless warnings to residents to evacuate their homes. Heeding the warnings, many of them had packed up and moved to safer places. The travel cost during that time was high and they had spent thousands in the whole process. Now the residents of union council-I, Thul are being denied Watan cards and other compensations, which they found quite unjust.

They said that UC-I is not included in the list of flood hit areas, and as a result, its residents are being deprived of their “legitimate rights”. They demanded the government include UC-1, Thul in the list of flood-hit areas so they could get Watan cards.

Firing at rally, one killed

One protester was killed when firing started at a protest rally organised in Jacobabad by flood survivors against not receiving Watan cards on Tuesday.

Witnesses could not tell where the firing started from and who is responsible for it. Before the firing incident, protestors had burnt tyres at DCO Chowk and said that the flood had caused them to lose millions of rupees.

They were protesting against the removal of some union councils, affected by the flood, from the watan card list.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2010.