TOBA TEK SINGH: Faisalabad trade union leaders have demanded the Punjab government increase the minimum wage of labourers to Rs70,000 and the wages of powerloom workers by 100 per cent.

Pakistan Labour Qaumi Movement Chairman Baba Latif Ansari and leadership of powerloom workers, including Parveen Latif Ansari, Aslam Meraj, Sheikh Nisar, Muhammad Shahid, Asad Ali, Rana Adeel, Irfan Bawala, Faiz Bandisha, Shahzad Mughal, Amna Razaq, Yasmin Tahira, Malik Mumtaz, Zain Jatt, Aslam Khokhar, Taya Saleem and Zafar Nagra, submitted a charter of demands to the Labour East and West Director.

They said the federal government presented the budget on the dictation of the IMF to benefit local and foreign capitalists and corporations. They said, `This is an imperialist budget that will further increase inequality, inflation and unemployment among the people of Pakistan and further increase the profits of the capitalist classes and global financial institutions.`They said the salaryof workers was increased by only 10pc while the salary of a Grade-22 bureaucrat and a Grade-1 worker was increased by the same formula, further widening the salary gap between them.

They said pensions were only increased by 7pe, which was very low in proportion to the wave of inflation in the country. They said the salaries of the members of parliament had been increased significantly, while the salaries of the Senate chairman and Speaker were increased by Rs200,000 and Rs130,000.

On the other hand, the increase in workers` salaries was equivalent to putting cumin in the mouth of a camel, they added.

They demanded that the minimum wage be fixed at Rs70,000 and pension should be increased by at least 30pc. They said the implementation of pension reforms would make it difficult for retired workers to survive.

The union leaders said that no agricultural tax had been imposed on the feudal classes. They said by continuing the Green Initiative, anti-farmer policies like corporate farming had been given legal status in the budget.

GRANT: The Punjab government has given Rs5 million grantto the Toba District Bar Association (DBA).

PML-N MPAs retired Col Sardar Ayub Gadhi and Amjad Ali Javed handed over the cheque on behalf of the Punjab government on Wednesday to DBA President Mehr Rabnawaz Dadduana and General Secretary Abid Jamil Mahuta.

Former DBA president and PML-N leader Chaudhry Nasir Iqbal was also present on the occasion.

MURDERED: A retired revenue patwari was murdered in Chak 570-GB, Jaranwala, on Wednesday.

Lundianwala police said deceased Muhammad Pervez (62) was on his way to his farmland when two unidentified motorcycle riders opened fire on him. As a result, he was seriously wounded and died instantly.

Police have shifted his body to the Jaranwala THQ hospital for autopsy.

ACCIDENT: One person died after a tractor trolley hit a motorcycle rickshaw at Gojra on Jhang Road near Chak 304-JB, Kathore, on Wednesday.

Deceased Ashraf (45) of Chak 355 fell on the road as a result of the collision and the same trolley ran over him. He died on the spot.