Food employees protest town committee chairman's 'hooliganism'.

UMERKOT -- Office-bearers of the food department employees' union, Samaro chapter, on Monday lodged a complaint against town committee chairman, Rafique Qaimkhani, for allegedly slapping food inspector Iftikhar Arain to prevent him from impounding around 1,200 wheat bags being transported to some other district/town by two trucks on Saturday evening.

Mr Arain, along with a police party, intercepted one of the two trucks and tried to chase the other one when, according to him, Mr Qaimkhani, a senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) activist, along with some of his associates, abused and slapped him to stop him from discharging his official duty.

The union's local chapter held an emergency meeting on Sunday under the chairmanship of MohAammed Hussain Maher and resolved to boycott the wheat procurement process in Umerkot district unless appropriate action was taken against the town committee chairman and his errant associates.

On Monday, food department employees in the district observed a boycott of wheat procurement, as well as other official duties, as no action was initiated against Mr Qaimkhani.

Protesting food employees vowed to continue with their boycott of duties until appropriate action was taken against the town committee chairman and his associates.

Speaking to local reporters, Mr Maher and other office-bearers of the union said that Mr Arain was discharging his duty by impounding the wheat stocks in line with the provincial government's drive against movement of wheat to other districts and provinces. He said Mr Qaimkhani and his associates indulged in an act of hooliganism to stop the food inspector from discharging his duty which was a serious offence. He pointed out that Mr Arain was subjected to manhandling and humiliation in the presence of...