SARGODHA: Farmers are facing difficulties due to an increase in irrigation costs following a rise in petroleum product prices.

This was said during a meeting of the Kinnow Growers Association, chaired by Chaudhry Hamid Saleem Warraich and attended by Munir Hussain Shirazi, Ahmad Noor Dhadi, Mian Khalid Afzal, Abid Warraich, Rao Abdul Ghaffar, Muhammad Zubair Langrial, Haji Fayaz Guriya, Raja Khaliq Dad and MalikAbdul Ghafoor.

They demanded that the kinnow price be fixed at Rs3,000 per maund to help farmers cover their expenses. They also demanded that the district administration take action against the traders dealing in counterfeit fertilisers and pesticides as this action was necessary to protect crops from the damage caused by fake fertilisers and pesticides.

The association also requested the establishment of a government-level office to facilitate its day-to-day operations. They said Sargodha had a unique position globally andurged the government to cooperate with landowners to preserve theirorchards.

STRIKE: On the call from the All Pakistan Clerk Association (Apca), government employees observed a strike on Tuesday.

They locked their offices and chanted slogans. Sargodha municipality`s sanitary staff also expressed solidarity with Apca.

Protesters said they were fighting for rights denied by the government, which was spending extravagantly on luxuries while neglecting government employees.

Hundreds of employees, including females, from variousdepartments gathered in front of the chief executive officer officeoftheHealthDepartment.

They warned if the government continued to deny their rights, they would lock all departments across Punjab and expand theirprotesttoLahore.

RESCUED: The Bhakkar police rescued a kidnapped child and arrested two kidnappers who were injured during the operation.

During the pursuit of escaping four gunmen on motorcycles at a police barricade, two kidnappers were injured due to gunfire from their own accomplices during a police encoun-ter. These suspects were wanted for the kidnapping of a child for ransom. The other two suspects managed to escape.

The police conducted a search operation, rescued the kidnapped child, Ali Hassan, and arrested the injured abductors. They also recovered weapons and a motorcycle. The injured kidnappers were taken to the hospital.

Ageel and Syed Rasool had kidnapped Ali Hasan and demanded a ransom of Rs500,000 from the family.

After receiving an agreed sum of Rs200,000, they did not release the child on Monday.