Briefs...

Cold weather giving way to spring season
By our correspondent
LAHORE: With no significant weather system in the country, the weather is now surely taking a formal turn towards a full blown spring season with the temperature consistently registering mid twenties. The maximum temperature on Tuesday was 24 degree Celsius while the minimum was 9. The minimum temperature in the country was -9 degrees at Parachinar. In the next 24 hours, mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country.

Three kill brother in Okara village
By our correspondent
OKARA: A man was killed by his three brothers at Gehl Singh village on Tuesday. Jehangir, Shamshad and Munir called their brother Arshad to their house and allegedly shot him dead. The motive behind the incident could not be ascertained so far. Police have registered a case and started investigation.

Chinese company to set up LNG power project
By our correspondent
LAHORE: A delegation of prominent energy company of China, Sino-hydro called on Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, here Tuesday and expressed interest in setting up project of power generation with LNG. Talking to the delegation, the chief minister said that steps were being taken speedily to overcome energy crisis being faced by the country. He said the government had adopted an effective strategy for power generation through gas, coal, solar and other sources while efforts were also being made for low-cost power generation. He welcomed the interest shown by the Chinese company in setting up LNG-based energy project in the province.

Ex-governor Punjab accused of misusing charity
By our correspondent
TOBA TEK SINGH: PML-N MNA Chaudhry Asadur Rehman Tuesday accused former governor Chaudhry Sarwar of misusing his charity organisation.Talking to reporters by telephone, the MNA said former governor himself was a land grabber, saying that he acquired 104 kanals of land from the government to construct his organisation’s school in Pirmahal but used only 13 kanal and 3 marlas for the purpose and became the owner of extra land.He maintained in December 2014 as a governor Sarwar again got allotted 26 kanals more land to establish a library for his school against nominal price of Rs 3,000 per acre.He said Sarwar also encroached 8 marlas 127 sq ft extra land adjacent to his school in Pirmahal. He added his international charity organisation had the manifesto to run schools on no profit no loss basis but exorbitant fees are being collected from students in his school.

Health centre damaged in Mohmand blast
By our correspondent
GHALLANAI: A health centre was partially damaged in an explosion in Ekkaghund tehsil in Mohmand Agency, official sources said on Tuesday. They said that an explosive device planted by unidentified persons at the health centre, which went off early in the day, causing partial damage to the building.

Man killed as mortar shell
hits house in Jamrud
By our correspondent
JAMRUD: A tribesman was killed and his wife sustained injuries when a mortar shell hit a house in the Jamrud tehsil of the Khyber Agency, official source said on Tuesday. The sources said that a mortar shell hit the house of one Pur Shah in Lashora village. “Pur Shah was killed on the spot while his wife sustained injuries,” said a local, adding, a portion of the house was damaged. Meanwhile, the Khasaddars reached the spot after the incident and started an investigation.

30-room complex to be
constructed at Katas Raj
By our correspondent
CHAKWAL: On the order of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a 30-room complex with all latest facilities will be constructed at Katas Raj, Chakwal district. It was said by Evacuee Property Trust Board chairman Siddiqul Farooq while presiding over a high level meeting held at Katas Raj on Tuesday. Siddiqul Farooq said that the federal and provincial government would provide security to the Hindu Yatrees who were scheduled to visit the Katas Raj from Feb 16. DS Azhar Sulehri told that around 100 Hindu Yatrees would visit the Katas Raj to perform their rituals on the Shivratry Festival from Feb 16 to 18.

Two raiding cops suspended for surrendering to dacoits
By our correspondent
OKARA: DPO Faisal Rana has suspended an ASI and a constable and issued a show-cause notice to the Hujra Shah Moqeem police station SHO after the two policemen surrendered to the dacoits. On a tip-off, ASI Zawar and Constable Karamat raided an area to arrest some dacoits on Monday night but the dacoits besieged them. To it, they surrendered their official rifle and saved their lives. Meanwhile, the DPO visited the police station on Tuesday and stayed their till the recovery of the official rifle. He also formed a police party to arrest the fleeing dacoits.

47 held in Bahawalpur crackdown
By our correspondent
BAHAWALPUR: Police on Tuesday arrested 47 people during the crackdown on the fourth scheduled enlisted people under the National Action Plan in Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar districts. As many as 27 people were arrested in Bahawalpur district while 20 persons were arrested in Bahawalnagar district. The police also arrested JI Khairpur Tamiwali naib ameer Ghulam Hussain during the crackdown. It is pertinent to mention here that the crackdown against fourth schedule enlisted people was continued in Rahimyar Khan district and several persons were taken into custody.

Child dies in Okara hut fire
By our correspondent
OKARA: A four-year-old gypsy girl was burnt alive and a boy received burns when a hut caught fire near Abdullah Basti, Depalpur, on Tuesday. The hut of Arshad suddenly caught fire. As a result, Arshad’s daughter Shabana was burnt alive while Ghulam Mustafa received serious burns. He was shifted to a hospital in Lahore.

Two wardens dismissed in Lahore
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Chief Traffic Officer Lahore Tayyab Hafeez Cheema on Tuesday dismissed two traffic wardens over long absence without prior leave. The two dismissed wardens are Umar and Atif. The CTO said there was no room for the lethargic wardens in the city. He added that wardens should behave well with the public and perform duty like religious obligation.

JI for strict action against Baldia Town accused
MULTAN: Vice Ameer Jamat-e-Islami Punjab Chaudhry Uzair Lateef has demanded of the government to take stern action against target killers in Karachi as thousands of people have fallen victim to target killings.In a statement issued here on Tuesday, he said that notorious outlaw Rizwan Qureshi had revealed many facts. On his lead, the government should proceed further.He also demanded the government to bring the target killers before the media. He said that tragedy of Baldia Town was a conspiracy against businessmen.

Send Baldia fire case to army courts: Khosa
By our correspondent
LAHORE: PPP general secretary and former Punjab governor Sardar Latif Khosa Tuesday said the Baldia Town fire case should be referred to military courts. He said burning of 250 factory workers alive for extortion money was a brutal act. Talking to the media at Lahore High Court, Khosa was of the view that the culprits should be brought to justice regardless of their affiliation with any political party. He said rampant terrorism and extortion in the country was a big question mark on the government. He regretted that a huge amount of public money had been spent on “jangla buses” whereas people were striving for basic needs.

Lawyer injured in Tank attack dies at hospital
By our correspondent
TANK: Senior lawyer and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Yousaf Burki succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday, family sources said. A lawyer Abdur Rehman was killed and Yousaf Burki sustained injuries when unidentified persons opened fire on their car near Durand Gate at the Tank bazaar on Monday. They were on the way to local courts. Yousaf Burki was rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital in Tank. Later, he was shifted to a hospital in Islamabad where he succumbed to his injuries. Yousaf Burki had contested the 2013 general elections for the provincial assembly seat in Tank on the ticket of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Lawyers stayed away from the courts against the killings of their colleagues. Traders and political activists staged protest rallies and wheel-jam strike was observed across the district to protest the killings. The protesters set 48 hours deadline for arrest of the killers. They threatened to launch the protest movement if the killers were not arrested within 48 hours.

Six members of banned outfits held in Hafizabad
By our correspondent
HAFIZABAD: The district police and law enforcement agencies on Tuesday arrested six members of defunct organisations in separate incidents here. The security agencies during a crackdown on the members of defunct organisations raided and arrested Rana Jamshed Tabassum of Dhegranwalai, Ghulam Safdar, Muhammad Ashraf of Madhora Kalan, Waheed Anwar of Chak Chatha, Talib Hussain of Pindi Bhattian and Pervaiz Ahmad of Kishangarh.

Man killed in Lakki festive firing
By our correspondent
LAKKI MARWAT: A man was killed in a festive firing during a volleyball match in Abbakhel village in the limits of Lakki Marwat Police Station on Tuesday, sources said. The sources said that the locals were celebrating the victory of a volleyball match by firing shots into the air when a bullet hit one Muhammad Rafique, leaving him critically injured. He was rushed to the Government City Hospital in Lakki Marwat where he succumbed to his injuries on way to a hospital in Peshawar.

Bid to smuggle arms foiled
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The local police foiled a bid to smuggle huge quantity of ammunition and arrested an alleged smuggler on the Ring Road on Tuesday. Superintendent of police (SP), City, Muhammad Afzal told reporters that action was taken on a tip-off. The official said that the cops flagged down a pick-up, bearing registration number D-1083, on the Ring Road near Jabba Sohail. The official said 32 repeaters, eight Kalashnikovs, 11 pistols and 5000 rounds were recovered from the vehicle. He added that one accused, Arshad, was also arrested.

1,830 held under NAP in Punjab
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Lahore Police arrested a total of 1,830 persons during the past month on violating the Loudspeaker Act and Tenant Law, wall-chalking, spreading religious hatred and provocative literature and registered 1,444 cases. Police also confiscated around 167 loudspeakers and amplifiers and thousands of books, magazines and pamphlets spreading religious hatred.