Briefs...

Two killed in fog-related accidents
By our correspondent
BAHAWALPUR: Two people were killed in different fog-related accidents here. In the first incident, a motorcyclist, Muhammad Aslam, was crushed to death by a vehicle near Chak 105 Fateh in Chishtian Sadr police limits. In the second incident, a woman was killed and two others, including a child, were injured when a speeding bus hit their motorcycle near Shashsmahi Canal on Yazman-Bahawalpur Road.

Five of a family injured by two cops
By our correspondent
GUJRANWALA: Two constables and their brothers injured five of a family to occupy their plot at Uppal Jagir Village on Thursday. Constables Shaukat Hameed and Zubair and their brothers Hafeez and Hamid entered the house of their relative Abdul Ghafoor by scaling the boundary wall and injured his wife Amna, son Ashraf, Wazir Bibi, Sharif and Saleem with clubs. The injured were shifted to DHQ Hospital for treatment. Amna alleged that the police was backing the accused. She appealed to the chief minister to order action against the accused who wanted to grab their 12-marla plot. The Ferozewala police are investigating.

Four booked for selling donkey meat
By our correspondent
HAFIZABAD: Vanike Tarar police booked four butchers on the charge of selling meat of donkeys. Police received information that four butchers, including Arif and Iqbal, were slaughtering eight donkeys to sell meat at Lalke village. Following the information, police raided the village and seized the slaughtered donkeys. However, the accused managed to escape.

40 illegal houses demolished
By our correspondent
TOBA TEK SINGH: The Revenue Department officials led by Kamalia Tehsildar Rana Iqbal demolished 40 illegal houses at Chak 54/2 GB and 54/2 GB Tukra. After the houses’ demolition, the affectees staged a demonstration. They said that electricity meters had been installed outside their houses. They said that they were staying in the open with their women and children in severe cold.

Woman dies, husband injured in Thatta village fire
THATTA: A woman died of burn injuries while her husband Saleem Mirbahr sustained burn injuries when fire broke out in Khaloo Mirbahr village near Thatta on Thursday morning. Some 15 hutments were gutted in the fire that broke out in the village rendering the inmates shelter less. Thatta Municipality fire brigade rushed to the village and controlled the fire. Later, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Thatta Dr Imran-ul-Haque reached the village and distributed wheat bags, blankets, tents and essential commodities among the affected villagers.

Cut in POL prices ‘a New Year gift’ to people: Punjab CM
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that government has won the hearts of the people by reducing the prices of petroleum products for the third time and that substantial decrease in the prices of petroleum products is a New Year gift of the PML-N government to the people. The chief minister directed that measures should be taken for reducing prices of essential items in proportion to the decrease in the rates of petroleum products while transport fares should also be reduced at the same rate. He directed that supply of petroleum products at the fixed rates should be ensured to the people and there should not be any complaint of non-availability of petroleum products or overcharging at any petrol pump.

Several arrested in Lakki over failure
to provide tenants details
By our correspondent
LAKKI MARWAT: The police have booked over a dozen owners of houses for not providing details of tenants to the local police stations. The police have launched a special drive to verify the registration of rented houses/buildings with area police, said an official on Thursday. He said during the campaign the law enforcers came to know that several owners rented their houses but they did not provide the details of their rented houses and tenants to the police stations concerned. “Under the law, the owners are bound to give information about the houses they rented and particulars of tenants to the local police within seven days,” he maintained.

Two die in Nowshera road accident
By our correspondent
NOWSHERA: Two persons were killed in road accidents on the Grand Trunk Road on Thursday, police said. They said an unidentified man sustained injuries in a road accident on the GT Road in Akora Khattak. He was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in a critical condition where he succumbed to his injuries. In another accident, a truck crushed a six-year-old girl to death when she was crossing the GT Road at the Shaidu bus stop. The police arrested the driver of the truck, Shahbaz.

Arrested traders released in Bannu
By our correspondent
BANNU: The district administration on Thursday set freed the traders and transporters, who were arrested under the maintenance of public order on December 16. About 21 traders and transporters were arrested under the maintenance of public order. They had staged protest campaign against the in-charge of traffic police in Bannu. Trade and transport association leaders vow to continue struggle against the administration’s failure to take action against a corrupt cop in the district. “We were arrested for protesting against the highhandedness of a corrupt cop,” president, All Transport Association, Southern Districts, Maqbol Zaman, said.

Two newly-appointed VCs visit UET
By our correspondent
LAHORE: THE newly-appointed Vice-Chancellors of Government College University (GCU) Faisalabad Dr Muhammad Ali and University of Gujrat Dr Zia-ul-Qayyum called on University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Vice-Chancellor Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid. The UET VC briefed the guests about research and academic activities of the university and assured them of his continued academic cooperation in the field of research, engineering and Information Technology etc.

Madaris heads in Bajaur slam school attack
By our correspondent
KHAR: The administrators of 120 madaris in Bajaur Agency on Thursday condemned the attack on Army Public School and College.The condemnation came during a meeting of the administrators of religious seminaries held at the Jamia Dinatul Uloom Nawan Killay in Bajaur.The meeting, through a unanimous resolution, condemned the killing of innocent schoolchildren and other staff in the attack on school. The participants also offered fateha for the departed soul of the victims of the tragedy. They prayed for speedy recovery of the injured.The meeting also extended full support to the political administration in registration of seminaries in the tribal region.

Gang of extortionists held in Mansehra
By our correspondent
MANSEHRA: The police claimed to have arrested four members of an inter-provincial gang of extortionists and received arms and ammunition from their possession, a police official said on Thursday. The arrested suspects were also produced before journalists. DSP Zulfiqar Khan Jadoon told reporters that the accused had robbed the house of one Muhammad Saleem in Lohar Banda area in city and decamped with gold ornaments and other valuables.“The arrested extortionists after looting the house of Waseem threatened him to arrange an amount of Rs300,000, otherwise they would kidnap his son,” said Jadoon.

Houses of three militants blown up in Bajaur
By our correspondent
KHAR: The houses of three militants were destroyed during search operation in Bajaur Agency, official sources said on Thursday. They said that the security forces and political administration launched search operation in Shahnarey and Shinkot areas in Khar, the headquarters of Bajaur Agency, and blew up the houses of three militants. The sources said the militants were wanted to the security forces and political administration in militancy-related incidents. They said the operation would continue against the militants throughout the tribal region.

Campuses in Burewala asked to
make security arrangements
By our correspondent
BUREWALA: Police have asked educational institutions of the subdivision to make foolproof security arrangements to avoid any untoward incident. Addressing a meeting at the Divisional Public School (DPS) here on Thursday, Vehari DPO Sadiq Ali Dogar said that the security measures included elevation of boundary wall and appointment of trained security guards. He said that he had issued orders that students and teachers should not leave the school buildings at one time after closure to avoid rush of vehicles. MNA Syed Sajid Mehdi, Education Executive District Officer Shaukat Ali and others also spoke.

63 suspects arrested in Charsadda search operation
By our correspondent
CHARSADDA: The police arrested 63 suspects, 16 proclaimed offenders among them, during a search operation in the district, police said on Thursday. They said the police launched a search operation against anti-social elements in Tangi and Shabqadar tehsils. They said during the search, the police arrested several suspects and recovered two hand grenades, seven Kalashnikovs, three rifles, 15 pistol and hundreds of cartridges from their
possession.

Compensation for dam victims sought
By our correspondent
BISHAM: A jirga on Thursday asked the government to pay compensation to the affectees of the Karora Hydropower Project or else they would not let begin the development work on the scheme. Speaking at a press conference, the jirga members, including Muhammad Wahab Khan, Haji Khan, Abdul Zaman and others, said the government should pay compensation to the affectees before launching development work on the 11.8 megawatt Karora Hydropower Project. They alleged that the government had deceived the people of Shangla district in the past. The jirga members said they would not allow the launching of the construction work on the project unless the government did not address their reservations about the project.

Low gas pressure in Kohat protested
By our correspondent
KOHAT: The residents, including a large number of women, from Jangalkhel area,Thursday staged a protest against low gas pressure and blocked the Grand Trunk Road for traffic for some time. Led by Ali Khan, Muhammad Amin and others, the protesting consumers were carrying banners and placards and chanting slogans against the officials of the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL). Speaking on the occasion, they alleged that the SNGPL reduced the gas pressure with the advent of winter. They asked the SNGPL officials to restore normal gas pressure in the area or else a protest campaign would be launched.

Man found dead in Swat
By our correspondent
MINGORA: A man was found dead in a graveyard in Barikot tehsil of Swat district on Thursday, official sources said. The sources said acting on a tip-off, the police reached a graveyard in Barikot area and recovered the body. The body was shifted to a hospital for autopsy where he was identified as Aurangzeb, a resident of Mardan district. He had been working in a hotel in Barikot since long, the sources added.