Briefs...

SHC summons chief secretary
By our correspondent
SUKKUR: The circuit bench of the Sindh High Court has summoned the chief secretary, the commissioner and others to appear before the bench on January 27. Muhabib Chandio had filled a constitutional petition saying that some land of the historical site of the Lakhan Jo Daro had been encroached. He maintained that it was the prime duty of the Sukkur administration and the Archaeological Department of Sindh to ensure the preservation and conservation of the archaeological sites.

Schoolboy killed for not paying ransom to kidnappers
By our correspondent
SUKKUR: Police on Wednesday found body of a schoolboy who had been kidnapped some months ago. Asif Chohan was kidnapped en route to school. Abdul Sattar Chohan, father of the murdered boy, said his son’s kidnappers had contacted him three days ago for ransom. He said he had told the kidnappers that he was a poor man and could not comply with their demand for Rs3 million ransom. Chohan said the kidnappers had told him that they would kill his son if he didn’t pay the ransom and so they did.Meanwhile, traders and people of the city staged a protest demonstration against the failure of the police to provide security to the people.

Govt schools in Haripur to reopen on 16th
By our correspondent
HARIPUR: All the government schools in the district would reopen on January 16, an official said on Wednesday. District Education Officer (DEO) Zafar Arbab Abbasi directed schools administration to ensure security arrangements before reopening of the schools.

Sukkur Police arrest six absconders
By our correspondent
SUKKUR: Khairpur and Sukkur police arrested six “most wanted criminals” for whose arrest there had been a Rs2.5 million reward.SP Sajid Hussain Khokhar, while briefing the media in his office, said that the Khairpur Police arrested a suspect who had been wanted in 47 different cases. There had been a reward of one million rupees on the arrest of the said suspect. He said police also arrested Basho Khaskhelli and Akroo Qambhrani. The police official said that Kumb Police during an encounter arrested Wazir Gopnag. Meanwhile, Sukkur police also arrested an alleged bandit for whose arrest the government had announced a reward.

25 Afghan nationals arrested
By our correspondent
NOWSHERA: The police arrested 25 illegal Afghan nationals in Khairabad here on Wednesday, official sources said.They said that the police launched crackdown against anti-social elements in Khairabad and arrested 20 gamblers and 25 Afghan nationals staying in the area illegally.The police registered a case against the Afghans under the Foreign Act.

Six kg of heroin stolen from Customs warehouse
By our correspondent
SIALKOT: Some unidentified accused stole 6kg of heroin worth millions of rupees from the warehouse of the Customs Department at the Sialkot Dry Port on Wednesday. After the mysterious theft incident, Customs Collector Qurban Ali submitted a written application to the Sambrial Police. When contacted, DPO Shehzad Akbar said that the Sambrial Police had registered a case. He said if any Customs Department official was found guilty in the incident, the case would be sent to the FIA for further investigation.

Four hurt in Nowshera gas explosion
By our correspondent
NOWSHERA: Four worshipers sustained injuries in a blast at a mosque caused by the leakage of gas in Qambarkhel in Pirpiai here on Wednesday, official sources said. The sources said that the hall of Masjid Usman was filled with gas due to the leakage and the gas heater exploded as soon as one of the worshipers lit it. As a result, four persons sustained injuries when the flames spread rapidly inside the prayer hall after the blast. The injured identified as Gulab, Haji Akbar Shah, Hazrat and Tor Gul received burn injuries and were taken to a hospital in Peshawar. Two of them were stated to be in critical condition.

35 power thieves held in Bannu
By our correspondent
BANNU: Officials of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) and the police arrested 35 power thieves here on Wednesday. The officials of Pesco, headed by Sub-divisional Officer (SDO) Domail subdivision Murad Ali Khan, SDO Ghuriwala Inayatullah Khan, Muhammad Tariq, SDO Kakki Riaz Ali and others, along with a police party raided markets and houses in Bannu City, Domail, Taji Killay and Kakki tehsil and arrested 35 consumers for using electricity illegally. They also recovered arrears of about Rs6 million from the consumers. Electricity from four 100KV and 200KV transformers supplying electricity to Nasri Bharat, Bharat Peshawari and Kakki Khas was also disconnected for not payment of arrears of more than Rs6.01 million.

Transfer of APA Mohmand demanded
By our correspondent
GHALLANAI: A Mohmand all parties’ conference (APC) and tribal elders on Wednesday asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to issue transfer order of assistant political agent (APA) Mohmand Agency. To this effect, a meeting of APC, including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Fazal Hadi, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Muhammad Arif, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Bakht Munir and Qaumi Watan Party’s Ghulam Hussain Mohib was held with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Malik Daud Mohmand in the chair. Criticising the behaviour of APA Zeeshan Abdullah, they said that the official, instead of resolving the issues being faced by the people, was humiliating the tribal elders, leaders of political parties and common people of the area.

Two killed in Karak accident
By our correspondent
KARAK: Two persons were killed and another sustained injuries in a road accident here on Wednesday, sources said.The sources said that a Peshawar-bound passenger bus collided with a car near a hotel on the Indus Highway, leaving three persons injured. They were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital in Karak where two of them, identified as Muhammad Nawaz and Muhammad Saad, succumbed to their injuries. Their relative, Muhammad Farooq, was admitted in critical condition.

Man killed in Buner
By our correspondent
DAGGAR: A man was killed and another sustained injuries in an exchange of fire over a petty issue in Nawan Killay in the limits of Daggar Police Station on Wednesday, official sources said.The sources said that two groups traded fire as a result of which Farman and Saddam sustained injuries.They were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital, Daggar, where Farman succumbed to injuries. The body was handed over to the relatives for burial.

13-year-old girl abducted in TT Singh
By our correspondent
TOBA TEK SINGH: A 13-year-old girl was abducted from Pirmahal on Wednesday. Raheela, a student of seven class, went to her school but did not return. Her father Arshad told the Pirmahal police that some unidentified persons had abducted her.

‘No foreigner arrested from PU’
By our correspondent
LAHORE: A Punjab University spokesman has clarified a news item published in various newspapers and said no foreigner has been arrested from the university hostels during a search operation conducted on Tuesday night.
According to a press release issued here Wednesday, the spokesman said the search operation was conducted by hostel administration alone under the supervision of Chairman Hall Council Prof Dr Muhammad Akhter and the team included wardens and superintendents of various hostels.
The spokesman said the PU team searched hostel number 15, 17, 18 and 19 and found four students of evening classes residing illegally. Two students were found from hostel number 18 and two were found from hostel number 19 which were handed over to Muslim Town police. The arrested students of evening classes included Muhammad Qasim, Zubair Ali, Bilal Qayyum and Bilal Muhammad, he added.
MNA Rai Munsib dies
By our correspondent
NANKANA SAHIB: MNA Rai Munsib Ali Kharral died after a prolonged illness here on Wednesday. Scores of people from different walks of life including Federal Minister Ch Barjees Tahir, Federal Minister Rana Tanvir Hussain, Punjab Minister Bilal Yasin, MNA Bilal Virk attended his funeral prayers at Panj Ahata. Rai Munsib was elected MPA first time in 1962 while remained MNA five times and MPA two times. He is survived by two daughters.

Arms licences for private schools demanded
By our correspondent
GUJRANWALA: Chairman Gujranwala Chamber of Education Schools Ch Muhammad Jameel has said that the government should issue arm licences to private schools instead of pressurising them as they have taken expensive steps to ensure security of students. He was addressing a meeting of the executive committee here on Wednesday. He alleged that private security agencies were providing untrained guards. “Private schools can employ trained security guards instead of hiring inefficient security guards having out of order weapons from professional security agencies,” he maintained.

Japanese envoy inaugurates
science laboratory in Hafizabad
By our correspondent
HAFIZABAD: Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Inomata has said that the Japanese government has given priority to empowerment of women in Japan as well as other countries under the leadership of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Inaugurating a science laboratory and a vocational training centre here on Wednesday, he said that the project would not only improve the female education and skills of the local community but also contribute to strengthen the friendly relations between the people of Japan and Pakistan. He said that the project had been completed at a cost of US $113,264 provided by the Japanese government to an NGO.

Anti-govt slogans
22 Sipah-e-Sahaba activists sent to jail
By our correspondent
MULTAN: The anti-terrorism court No 1 judge on Wednesday sent 22 activists of the defunct Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan to jail for chanting slogans against the government. The accused, including Sohail, Talha, Zahid, Jamshed, Baadiuzzaman, Abdul Hamid Mauvia, Hafiz Jabbar Mauvia, Qadir, Farooq, Muhammad Nadeem, Haris, Shahid Nadeem and Muzamil Shah, were produced in court. They had chanted slogans against the government during the burial of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi activist Ghulam Shabbir alias Doctor on January 7. Ghulam Shabbir was hanged in Multan Central Jail on January 7. When his body reached his native town Tulamba, they shouted slogans against the government. The Tulamba police had registered a case against 14 nominated and 40-50 unknown activists under sections 298, 148 & 149 of the PPC and 16-MPO.

FDA a white elephant: GB chairman
By our correspondent
FAISALABAD: Faisalabad Development Authority Governing Body chairman MPA Sheikh Ijaz Ahmad has said that the FDA is indeed a white elephant and no development could be accomplished by it during the last decade. He was addressing a press conference here on Wednesday. He admitted that the FDA had badly failed to provide basic amenities in the FDA City, which was constructed a decade before. He said that he had already issued warning to the FDA officers to mend their ways and eliminate corruption.

Four prayer leaders booked in Pakpattan
By our correspondent
PAKPATTAN: Police on Wednesday booked four prayer leaders under the Amplifier Act in separate incidents here. They are Qari Muhammad Hussain of Chak 7-EB, Qari Muhammad Yar of Chak 59-D, Maulvi Muhammad Azhar of Chak 7-KB and Qari Muhammad Tahir of Chak 36-SP.