Women take to streets in Jacobabad

SUKKUR: A large number of women took to the streets in Jacobabad on Tuesday to draw the attention of the authorities to police failure to recover a kidnapped Hindu girl Asha Kumari.

She had allegedly been kidnapped from Muhalla Gharibabad on March 3.

The protest call was given by Small Traders and Hindu Punchayat in which participants wore black armbands and marched on Quaid-e-Azam Road.

While raising slogans for recovery of Asha Kumari and protection to Hindus sin Sindh, they reached in front of the press club and observed a token hunger strike.

A large number of women activists belonging to Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Girls Movement under the leadership of Jameela Soomro also participated in the rally.

Addressing on the occasion, President Small Traders Association, Mir Ahmed Ali Brohi, President Hindu Punchayat Mahesh Kumar Lakhani, District President of STP Ali Mohammad Lashari, JUI -F District Ameer Dr. A.G. Ansari and Ayaz Buriro of PML-N said that for the first time ransom was being demanded for release of kidnapped girl.

They accused police of tasking an amount of Rs1.8 million ransom money from parents of Asha Kumari for her recovery.

Neither she could be recovered nor are her whereabouts known. They said that no one either from the elected representatives or from the administration had contacted the affected family to extend an assurance to recover the girl.

They said that for the first time in history of Jacobabad, women took to the streets to record their protest against kidnapping of a girl. Criticising police role in the matter, they said it made no serious efforts to recover the girl.

On the occasion, a heavy contingent of police was deployed at different localities of Jacobabad and kept an eye over the press club.

Dawn