Daily Times

LARKANA: Buffalo-cattle herds’ owners on Tuesday held a demonstration against the district administration of Larkana for restricting them to enter into Rice Canal amid scorching heat of summer.

Reportedly, the herd owners including Muhammad Bux Joyo, Rasul Bux Kalhoro, Asadullah Mengal, Rajib Sethar, Tufail Arbani, Zakir Pahore and others claimed that their animals were suffering from indisposition as they could not take a bath in the canal for the last three months. Meanwhile, the ‘enraged’ demonstrators marched on the roads of Larkana and chanted slogans against the Mayor of Larkana Municipal Corporation (LMC) Aslam Shaikh for closing the path off to their animals.

“Since Gen Ayub Khan’s era our cattle and buffaloes were allowed to enter into the Rice Canal,” they claimed while criticising the former provincial government of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for disallowing them and threatening them with registration of cases if they refuse to obey the orders. “Yesterday, two expensive buffaloes fell down due to scorching heat, and might not recover,” they said while urging the concerned authorities to either provide any alternative or allow them promptly to enter into the canal.

They further claimed that milking buffaloes was the only source of their income.

“We will not cast votes to any political candidate in the upcoming general election until our buffaloes and cattle are allowed to enter the rice canal,” they added.

Published in Daily Times, July 11^th 2018.