Briefs...

ANF foils bid to smuggle heroin, arrests Nigerian
RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) foiled a bid of heroin smuggling abroad and held a foreigner at Benazir Bhutto International Airport here on Sunday. The foreigner was trying to smuggle the heroin filled capsules to North Africa via Doha and Turkey. The ANF during the routine checking of the passengers who were boarding in Qatar bounded flight, on suspicion ANF held a suspicious foreigner.The foreign namely Chicovegkov Festo Odogo of Nigeria was taken into custody. During the preliminary investigation, the foreigner confessed the crime who had swallowed 80 heroin filled capsules in his abdomen.Later, the accused was shifted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) for x-ray. The doctors recovered the heroin filled capsules from his abdomen. The ANF has registered case against him under narcotics control act and started investigation.
Corrigendum
ISLAMABAD: In the news item, ‘Aziz cautiously optimistic about talks with India’ by our diplomatic correspondent on Saturday, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz was inadvertently misquoted as saying that the whole world ‘accepts’ that India has acknowledged Pakistan’s recent efforts to counter terror. The original story quoted Sartaj Aziz as saying that the whole world except India has acknowledged Pakistan’s recent efforts to counter terror. The mistake is regretted.

85 farmers booked
PAKPATTAN: On the report of the irrigation SDO, police have booked 85 farmers for stealing canal water. Those booked include Haji Sharif of Chak Byle Ganj and Muhammad Sakhi of Chak 60/SP.

Four beat blind woman with two granddaughters
By our correspondent
PAKPATTAN: Four drunkards beat a blind woman during an attempt to rape her two granddaughters in Chak 8/EB. Four people, including Saleem, entered the house of Allah Rakhi and allegedly tried to rape her daughter and niece. The two girls managed to escape and entered the house of their neighbour Bagh Ali. It infuriated the accused and they beat their blind grandmother. The accused also took away Rs2,000 and other valuables. Police have registered a case.

Rally against Peshawar mosque attack
CHAKWAL: A rally was taken out against the Peshawar mosque attack from the Imambargah Sadaat here on Sunday. The rally led by Syed Ahmad Ali Shah turned into a big public meeting at Bhoun Chowk. The participants chanted slogans against the incident. Speaking on the occasion, speakers said that the government had failed to protect the lives and properties of people. They demanded the government award exemplary punishment to the terrorists. Meanwhile, Shia Ulema Council district secretary Syed Rashid Abbas has condemned the Peshawar mosque attack. Addressing a press conference at Imambargah Qasr-e-Abu Talib on Sunday, he termed the incident a failure of the government. He demanded an exemplary punishment for the attackers.

Woman killed, 14 injured in Kurram Agency blast
By our correspondent
SADDA: A woman was killed and 14 other persons, including six children, sustained injuries in a blast inside a house in Kurram Agency, official sources said on Sunday. The sources said that an explosion occurred in the house of one Gula Jan in Pir Qayyum village in Kurram Agency. As a result, a woman was killed and 14 other persons, six among them children, sustained injuries. The injured were taken to hospitals in Peshawar, Sadda and Hangu. The officials have started an investigation into the incident.

100 cottages of fishermen burnt
By our correspondent
CHAKWAL: More than 100 cottages of fishermen were burnt near Rehna Sadat Dharabi Dam. The fishermen had built their cottages near the dam. On Sunday, a fire suddenly broke out and all the cottages were burnt to ashes and belongings of the fishermen amounting to millions of rupees were destroyed. The victims have demanded the government provide them financial assistance.

Explosives recovered in Charsadda
By our correspondent
CHARSADDA: Security forces foiled a terrorism bid and defused explosives planted inside a state-run school in Shabqadar tehsil, official sources said on Sunday.They said that the locals of the area spotted some suspicious persons near the Government Middle School in Shno Ghundo locality in Sro Killay and informed security forces.The forces reached the area and recovered three explosive-fitted pressure cookers, five hand grenades and 10 mortar shells, which were planted inside the school. The bomb disposal unit (BDU) defused the explosives.

Afghan national arrested
By our correspondent
MARDAN: The police have arrested an Afghan prayer leader in the cantonment area of the district. According to Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), a police party raided Jamia Masjid at Mir Akbar village and arrested Abdul Baqi, hailing from Laghman province of Afghanistan. The police said Abdul Baqi was serving as prayer leader in the village for the last 11 years. A case was registered against him under the Foreign Act.

Two suspects held in Swat
By our correspondent
MINGORA: Security forces arrested two suspected persons in Chamtalai area in Khwazakhela Tehsil in Swat district on Sunday, official sources said. The sources said security forces raided a house in Chamtalai and arrested two militants identified as Bahadur Khan and Liaqat Ali. They were shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

House gutted in Swat
By our correspondent
MINGORA: Three rooms were burnt to ashes when fired erupted in a house due to short-circuiting in the Matta tehsil of Swat district on Sunday. Sources said that the fire erupted in the house of Muhammad Nisar in Rahatkot village, which was extinguished after hectic efforts by the locals. Nisar said that belongings worth Rs1.5 million were burnt to ashes. The police registered the case and started an investigation.

Two injured in roof collapse
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Two persons including a girl received injuries when the roof of an under-construction house collapsed in Gazabad on Sunday. The injured man, identified as Ashraf, a labourer, and the girl, identified as Mehak, were admitted to a local hospital where their condition was said to be out of danger.

Anti-polio drive in Larkana from today
LARKANA: All arrangements have been finalised for the National Immunisation Campaign of Polio during which more than 3,10228 children of Larkana district upto five years of age would be administered Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) in the three days starting from February 16, 2015.District Health Officer Larkana Dr. Khalilullah Shaikh said 729 mobile teams have been constituted which will visit all the areas including the remote, far-flung areas of the district to accomplish the task of administering OPV. He further said that children upto 2 years age will also be immunised against various other diseases in addition to polio. -