Briefs...

Nisar, KP leaders discuss political situation
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan here on Tuesday in a meeting with senior provincial minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inayatullah and Parliamentary leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Tariqullah MNA discussed overall political situation of the country.The interior minister said that the country was passing through a critical phase. He further said in the light of agreement reached at All Parties Conference, political parties are united against terrorism. Under the National Action Plan, the federal government is determined to root out terrorism, he added.

25 suspected persons held in Bahawalpur
By our correspondent
BAHAWALPUR: Police and the Elite Force personnel on Tuesday conducted a search operation in the adjacent areas of the Bahawalpur Airport and under construction Quaid-e-Azam Solar Energy Park and arrested 25 suspected persons.The search operation, conducted due to security reasons, was led by DPO Sarfraz Ahmad Falki. According to the DPO Office, the suspected persons would be released if they were not found guilty of any crime.

Winter rain paralyses life
By our correspondent
BAHAWALPUR: The first winter rain almost paralysed routine life activities in the Bahawalpur Division on Tuesday.The rain continued with regular intervals with cold waves, hampered daily routine life in the division. The people also faced problems due to long hours power shutdown and gas loadshedding. The rain was continued in Bahawalnagar till the filing of this report.

Two killed in Swat road accident
By our correspondent
MINGORA: Two persons were killed and another sustained injuries when a vehicle plunged into a ditch in Mingora bypass here on Tuesday. “The brakes of the over-speeding jeep failed and it fell into the ravine,” said a police official. He said two persons identified as Afaq Ahmad and Asmat Ali were killed on the spot and Masood sustained injuries.

Kidnapped man found dead in Peshawar
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: Armed men kidnapped a local from Hayatabad who was later found dead near the Azam Afridi Chowk on Tuesday.
A woman Nisar Begum told police that she and her son, Zahirullah, were on way to their home when occupants of a car kidnapped her son in Phase-VI Hayatabad late Monday night. She added her son was found dead on Tuesday morning.
The police have lodged a case against Ifran, Kamran, Ayaz and Fayaz. The accused had an old dispute with the victim family, the sources said. Meanwhile, the Pishtakhara Police arrested a criminal Zahirullah of Hazarkhwani. The police said the cops were tipped off that some criminals were planning an attack in Pishtakhara after which an encounter took place during which Zahir was arrested.

FIA arrests PO
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The FIA on Tuesday arrested a proclaimed offender from the Samanabad area. Accused Tariq Latif was wanted in a case of getting a CNIC on fake particulars and also a passport. Latif had fled the country.

Balochistan facing 1,190MW power shortfall
QUETTA: The Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) officials said that Balochistan has been facing 1,190 megawatt power shortfall against its total requirement of 1,650 megawatts. A spokesman for QESCO on Tuesday said the province (except its Makran division) has availability of 450MW electricity in comparison with its total need of 1,650MW. “Due to the power shortfall, QESCO is carrying out four to seven hours daily loadshedding in Quetta and seven to 10 hours in other areas,” he said.

Levies Force deployed at SWA schools
By our correspondent
WANA: The Levies Force personnel and Khassadars have been deployed at the educational institutions in South Waziristan. Assistant Political Officer Nawab Khan Safi along with tribal elders and Education Department officials checked the security arrangements at the schools. The Levies Force personnel and Khassadars were deployed at the schools on the directives of the Political Agent Islamzeb Khan.

TANK: District Police Officer (DPO) Kifayatullah Wazir visited educational institutions in the district. The DPO visited more than 50 schools and instructed the schools management to take proper security measures. He assured the management of the educational institutions of police support and added that no-objection certificates (NOC) would only be issued to those schools taking proper security steps.

Three killed in Batkhela accident
By our correspondent
BATKHELA: Three persons were killed and 11 others sustained injuries in a road accident in Batkhela, Malakand Agency, on Tuesday said. Locals said that a Karachi-bound passenger bus collided with a van coming from the opposite direction. As a result, Gohar, Shah Wazir and Bahadur Khan were killed on the spot while 11 others sustained injuries. The injured, including Nisar Muhammad, Rehmatullah, Sher Bahadur, Lal Bahadur, Muhammad Khan, Gulab Sher, Khaista Khan, Muhammad Jan, Shah Muhammad and Perveen Bibi, were rushed to a nearby hospital from where some of them were shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar due to their precarious condition.
Couple suffocated to death in Timergara
By our correspondent
TIMERGARA: A couple suffocated to death and two kids became unconscious due to accumulation of gas in their room here on Tuesday, official sources said. The sources said that Zrawar Khan and his wife Badri died of suffocation while their children fell unconscious due to the accumulation of gas in their room caused by burning of coal. The incident happened in Muhalla Shingari. The children were shifted to the Timergara Hospital where their condition was stated to be stable. The victims were the residents of Mohmand Agency.

Afghans selling properties, belongings
By our correspondent
JAMRUD: Afghans, who were staying illegally in Khyber Agency, on Tuesday started selling their properties and other belongings to avoid financial losses in case of deportation. Several Afghans have already sold homes, properties, shops and other items after the government had directed those living illegally to leave the country. The Afghans said they were selling properties and other belongings due to fear of action against those staying illegally in Pakistan.

Man shot dead in Charsadda
By our correspondent
CHARSADDA: Unidentified gunmen shot dead a man in the limits of Prang Police Station on Tuesday, official sources said.The sources said that Habibullah was on his way home when armed men fired at him in Umarabad, killing him on the spot. The accused managed to flee the scene. On the complaint of the deceased’s wife Shakeela Bibi, the police registered the case and started an investigation.