Briefs...

Gang of bandits busted in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad police busted an alleged gang of bandits and also arrested 14 other outlaws in various areas of the city besides recovering looted items, weapons and narcotics from their possession, a police spokesman said on Friday. On a tipoff, Station House Officer of Tarnol police station, Inspector Mehboob Ahmed, along with a police team, raided the hideout of bandits in Pind Parrian and arrested three of them.

Climate change one of the major threats: German envoy
By our correspondent
FAISALABAD: German Ambassador Dr Cyrill Nunn has said that cooperation in German-Pakistan educational and research institutes will be further strengthened to get benefit from each other experiences. Talking to University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan at the Syndicate Room here on Friday, he said that students and faculty exchange programme would be fortified. He said that Germany was running the world third largest students and faculty exchange programme, which would be beneficial for Pakistani scholars. He said that many Pakistani students were getting education in Germany, especially in engineering, botany, chemistry, etc.

Abduction bid foiled
By our correspondent
PAKPATTAN: People foiled an abduction bid here on Friday. Two-year-old Ali Zain s/o shopkeeper Shamsuddin was playing near the shop when Zainab Bibi allegedly abducted him. Shams’ neighbour saw her and raised hue and cry. Hearing the noise, the people gathered there and overpowered Zainab and recovered the child from her custody.

Huge cache of arms recovered in Kurram Agency
By our correspondent
PARACHINAR: The security forces recovered a huge cache of arms during a search operation in Kurram Agency, official sources said on Friday. The sources said that the security forces launched the search operation in Shaheedano Dhand in lower parts of Kurram Agency. During the door-to-door search, the forces recovered huge cache of arms from the house of one Izzat Khan. The political administration said that the search operation was launched after the recent roadside attacks on the security forces in Kurram Agency.

Plea against JIT report disposed of
By our correspondent
LAHORE: A Lahore High Court division bench Friday disposed of a petition challenging report of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in murder case of a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s worker Haq Nawaz. Atta Muhammad, brother of the slain worker, submitted in the petition that State Minister Abid Sher Ali, former provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah, Faisalabad DCO Noorul Amin Mengal and many other leaders of PML-N were nominated in the FIR. However, he said, the JIT in its investigation report did not even discuss the names of these influential personalities nominated in the FIR. He said the JIT violated the law by not investigating the nominated suspects. He asked the court to set aside the report of the JIT submitted before the trial court and order it to hold the investigation afresh on merit. The bench heard the arguments and directed the petitioner to approach department concerned (Punjab Home Department). Nawaz was killed during a PTI rally in Faisalabad last year allegedly by firing carried out by workers of PML-N.

200 loudspeakers, amplifiers removed from mosques
By our correspondent
LAHORE: SADDAR Division Police have confiscated 200 loudspeakers and amplifiers from dozens of mosques and seminaries in the last two days. According to press release issued here on Friday, police also arrested and registered cases against 20 suspected persons belonging to various banned outfits and recovered weapons in huge cache from their custody. It is worth mentioning here that during the past week, Lahore Police have arrested over 2,000 persons for violating Loudspeaker Act and Tenant Law, selling blasphemous literature and CDs and spreading religious hatred.

Two farmers abducted in Qambar
By our correspondent
LARKANA: Two young men were abducted from their fields in the jurisdiction of Qambar on Friday. Police said the kidnapped men were real brothers – Ibrar Ali Jagirani and Muhammad Aslam Jagirani – who were in their agriculture land near Noorang early in the morning when five armed men kidnapped them and fled. They resorted to firing to scare away relatives attempting to chase them, while the police also went after the kidnappers but could not find them.

Two held for ‘links’ with Daaish
By our correspondent
OKARA: Renala City police have arrested two activists of a defunct organisation for alleged links with Daaish and Al-Qaeda. Those arrested are Masood and Shafqat. Police have registered a case against them under 16 MPO.
Illegal constructions demolished in Lahore
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Continuing its operation against illegal housing societies, Lahore Development Authority (LDA) demolished boundary walls, site offices and roads of six such societies here Friday. Officials said the operation was launched early morning by the Metropolitan Planning and Town Planning wings in the area of Raiwind Road and Sundar. They said the LDA after verification of land record of TMA Allama Iqbal Town declared 10 societies and various sub-divisions illegal.

Okara to get university
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to set up University of Okara on 280 acres of land at Renala Khurd and give the status of autonomous chartered university in the name of Baba Farid University to the Sahiwal sub-campus of Bahauddin Zakria University (BZU).This was decided at a meeting of a special committee constituted by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. An amount of Rs 100 million out of the provincial ADP was being released for both these projects costing total Rs 1 billion in the first phase, the minister added.Arif Chaudhry MNA and Commissioner Sahiwal Division Sohail Shahzad as well as senior officers of Higher Education Department attended the meeting.

Court stays auction of rest houses in Punjab cities
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Friday stayed auction of Punjab Irrigation Department’s ‘rest houses’ situated in Faisalabad, Nankana Sahib, Hafizabad and Jhang. A citizen Muhammad Iqbal filed a petition and stated that the irrigation system of Punjab was established in 1882. He said the department had constructed rest houses across the province in public interest to keep the irrigation system active. The petitioner pointed out that the officers of the department started auctioning the rest houses of the four districts on throwaway prices owing to pressure of political leaders. He alleged that rules were being violated in the auction process. The department’s counsel, however, told the court that all rules and regulations were being strictly observed for the auction of the rest houses. Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal stayed the auction and directed the department’s counsel to submit a detailed reply to the petition on next hearing.
Appointment challenged in court
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Appointment of Ameena Sohail as Member Legal at Information Technology Ministry was challenged before the Lahore High Court terming it based on nepotism. Noshab A Khan Advocate has filed this petition saying that on December 12, 2014 Ameena Sohail was appointed as Member Legal by ignoring many experienced candidates having vast relevant experience as compared to that of Ameena Sohail. He requested the court for direction to the ministry for withdrawal of appointment notification and summon Ameena Sohail before the court requiring her to show under what authority of law she claimed to hold the office of member legal.

Cops complete training in Nowshera
By our correspondent
NOWSHERA: The participants of first batch completed explosive handling training here on Friday. Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation Mian Jamsheduddin Kakakhel, Deputy Inspector General of Police Training Muhammad Ali Gandapur, District Police Officer Rab Nawaz Khan and Senior Superintendent of Police Motorway Sikandar Shehryar also attended the ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, the minister, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said that explosive handling course would help the cops tackle explosives.

Explosive device defused in Kalaya
By our correspondent
KALAYA: The bomb disposal unit (BDU) defused a remote-controlled explosive device outside a school in Babotang area here on Friday, official sources said. The sources said that unknown persons had placed an explosive device outside the Government Primary School in Babotang. “The bomb hidden under a heap of stones outside the school was spotted by a schoolteacher,” an official said. The schoolchildren were evacuated through a backdoor and BDU was called for defusing the bomb, a schoolteacher said.

50 suspects held in Bannu
By our correspondent
BANNU: The police arrested 50 suspected persons and recovered arms and narcotics from them here on Friday, police official said. Talking to reporters, Deputy Superintendent of Police Saeed Khan Bangash said that the police launched search and strike operation in Sardikhel, Narmikhel, Nurar, Mandew, Miryan, Zaindi Falaksher and Sra Darga areas and arrested 50 suspects. Arms and narcotics were also recovered from them.

Jobless man commits suicide in Lahore
By our correspondent
LAHORE: A 24-year-old man committed suicide due to his poor financial conditions in the Badami Bagh police limits on Friday.Police have removed the body to morgue. Shahbaz, a resident of Qaddafi Colony, was unemployed and frustrated. On the night of the incident, he had an argument with his family on some matter. He became furious, went inside his house, whipped out his weapon and shot on his temple. The victim died on the spot.