Sanitary workers stage protest, demand arrest of killers

Rawalpindi :A large number of sanitary workers on Monday staged a protest demonstration on Murree Road and demanded to arrest the target killers of their two colleagues soon. The protesters blocked Murree Road and traffic remained jam for some time.

Asif Masih and Muhammad Sqaib, the two workers employed with Waste Management Company Albayrak were gunned down by unidentified assailants in Sadiqabad, a couple of days back. 

The protesters were holding banners, and were raising slogans against killing of their colleagues; ‘police should arrest the killers immediately,’ ‘we condemn armed attacks on poor sanitary workers.’

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has already taken notice of the killing of the sanitary workers and ordered to form a committee to arrest the culprits. He has ordered to arrest culprits and present a detailed report to him.

Rawalpindi Mayor Sardar Naseem reached to the protesters and on his assurance to arrest the culprits soon, the protesters called off the strike. The mayor also went homes of deceased sanitary workers.

The protest demonstration led by Municipal Workers League (CBA) Rawalpindi, Chairman Chengez Khan and President Haji Farooq Ahmed Khan was held on Murree Road.  They demanded the Inspector General of Police Punjab, Regional Police Officer and City Police Officer to apprehend the killers of the innocent sanitary workers immediately. 

Addressing the protesters, MWL (CBA) Rawalpindi Chairman Chengez Khan and President Farooq Ahmed Khan denounced the armed attacks on sanitary workers of Albayrak in the city and demanded the government and law enforcement agencies to arrest the culprits soon. “Such attacks have created a sense of fear among the workers,” they said.

They demanded the government to allow the sanitary workers to wear private dresses instead of uniforms during the working hours, as it came into the notice of the criminals and they were targeting them as a soft target.

“The government should also end duty of the sanitary workers early in the morning,” they said. They added the Punjab government should compensate the families of the victims and give jobs to their family members. They informed that all the sanitary workers had decided to donate their one day salary to the widows of the deceased workers.  The incident took place in precincts of Sadiqabad Police Station and a case has been registered against unknown killers. Police is trying to ascertain whether it was a target killing or any other reason.

It is also worth mentioning here that a similar incident took place on August 18, this year too, when two unknown gunmen riding a motorcycle targeted three sanitary workers of Albayrak Waste Management Company, when they were cleaning Data Ganj Baksh Road in UC-23 at about 5:35 a.m in Sadiqabad area.

As a result, one sanitary worker, Karamat Masih, was killed on the spot, while Sagheer sustained bullet injuries. The third one managed to escape. The attackers fled the crime scene. Similarly, in June 2017, unknown assailants killed a sanitary worker of Albayrak Waste Management Company Rawalpindi namely Ashir Asif when he was cleaning the road at Rehmanabad Flyover on Murree Road. Police could not arrest the killers yet.   The sanitary workers of Rawalpindi Waste Management Company are in the state of fear and panic while majority of workers (male and female) have stopped working.