Briefs...

Man found dead in Lahore
By our correspondent
LAHORE: A 30-year-old man was found dead in the limits of Bhatti Gate police station on Tuesday. Police said the man, yet to be identified, was an addict who might have died of excessive use of drugs. Police shifted the dead body to the morgue for the autopsy.

6,000 cases of polio vaccination refusal in Khairpur
By our correspondent
SUKKUR: Some 6,000 cases of polio vaccination refusal by parents have been recorded in Khairpur. This was revealed by the Technical Officer of District Polio Eradication Committee and representative of FELT-NSTOP Dr Akbar Ali Ghanghro during an orientation on Polio Eradication and Expanded Program of Immunization meeting on Tuesday. The meeting was presided over by Deputy Commissioner, Khairpur, Munawar Ali Mithani.

Schoolteachers continue protest in Peshawar
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: Members of the All Primary Teachers Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, held a protest camp for the second day on Tuesday to press the government for acceptance of their demands. Provincial president Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Muhammad Tahir, Muhammad Jalal, Qazi Said Alam, Roohul Amin and Noor Shah were among those who visited the protest camp.
Speaking to the participants of the camp, the speakers expressed concern over the government’s attitude towards primary teachers. On the occasion, a representative of Tanzeem-e-Asatiza, Khairullah Khairi assured his full support to the camp participants. Announcing the future line of action, he said they would hold protest meetings and sit-ins in March and in April in the third phase of the protest, if their demands were not met.

Three hit to death by truck in Lahore
By our correspondent
LAHORE: A 50-year-old man and two school boys were killed when a recklessly-driven truck hit them in the Kahna area on Tuesday. The victims were identified as Naseer Ahmad, his grandson Awais Raza and Mohammad Shoaib, who happened to be a friend of Awais, residents of Mohalla Islampura, Kachah Road. Police said Naseer was going to drop Awais and Shoaib at an examination centre when a speeding truck hit them on Kachah Road. As a result, all the three received fatal injuries. The injured were rushed to a local hospital where Awais and Shoaib were pronounced as brought dead while Naseer succumbed to injuries a few minutes after his admission to the hospital. The truck driver, identified as Mohammad Ashraf who did not escape from the scene, was arrested by the police.

‘Legislation done for LG polls in KP’
By our correspondent
DIR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senior Minister Inayatullah Khan has said the government has completed legislation for local government elections to be held in the last week of May this year. Speaking at a Zilli Moshawarti Council meeting organised by the Jamaat-i-Islami, Upper Dir chapter, here, he said after the election power would be devolved to the grassroots level. Member National Assembly Sahibzada Tariqullah, members provincial assembly Malak Behram Khan and Mohammad Ali Kohistani, district chief of JI Sahibzada Fasihullah also addressed the meeting. A large number of the JI workers were present on the occasion. Inayatullah said that 1,500 representatives would be elected in the district in the upcoming local government elections. The JI legislators asked the party workers to start a campaign for the upcoming local government elections.

Nankana to be new ETPB zone
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The federal government has approved the request of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Siddiq-ul-Farooq to make Nankana Sahib a new Administrator Zone. According to a handout issued here on Tuesday, the federal government approved the request of the ETPB chairman to make Nankana Sahib a new administrator zone. Siddiq-ul-Farooq soon after assuming the charge of ETPB had announced to form Nankana Sahib a new zone for better working of the board affairs. District Nankana and Sheikhupura will serve as district offices of the new zone, which was previously run by the Lahore Zone.

Terrorist awarded death on three counts
By our correspondent
LAHORE: An Anti-Terrorism Court on Tuesday awarded death on three counts to a terrorist on charges of blasting a cinema in Okara, which had claimed the lives of two people and left 12 injured in 1995. The court has also awarded life imprisonment to the convict, Ishaq, as well as sixty years further imprisonment under different sections of the Anti Terrorism Act and Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The judge also imposed a fine of Rs300,000 on the convict along with confiscation of moveable and immoveable assets. The convict had planted a bomb in the Venus cinema in Okara in 1995.

Militant commander held in Peshawar
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The police arrested a militant commander along with a hand grenade after an encounter in Mashogagar on Tuesday, officials said. They said that Ajar Gul, who was involved in many attacks on the police, was arrested after an exchange of fire in Mashogagar. Police officials in the Badaber Police Station said a hand-grenade and pistol was also recovered from Ajar Gul who belongs to Khyber Agency.

Bomb planted near school defused
By our correspondent
MINGORA: The police defused a bomb, which was planted near a private school in Matta Tehsil, officials said on Tuesday. District Police Officer (DPO) Saleem Marwat said the police received information that terrorists had placed a bomb near the school in Matta Bazaar. The police and bomb disposal unit officials reached the area and defused the bomb, he added. He said police and security forces launched a search in the area soon after the incident.

Explosive recovered in Hangu
By our correspondent
HANGU: Security forces recovered an explosive device in Spina Khwra on Tuesday. Sources said that security forces raided a house of a militant in Spina Khwra and recovered a 15-kilogram bomb from the house. The militant had escaped from the area before the security forces raided the house.

Cook strangles old woman after torture in Lahore
By our correspondent
LAHORE: A 60-year-old woman was strangled after being subjected to severe torture in her house in Defence-A on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Gulshan Ara, a resident of Block Phase III, Defence-A. The victim’s daughter Eman Malik had accused cook Hazoor Bukhsh of killing her mother. She told the police that cook Hazoor Bukhsh had served them for eight years when he suddenly left their house and rejoined the family almost eight days back. She suspected that her mother might have admonished him due to which he nursed a grudge against her and strangled her after subjecting her to severe torture. Police registered a case against the accused.

Two soldiers drown in NWA flooded stream
By our correspondent
BANNU: Two soldiers drowned in a seasonal stream in Spinwam in North Waziristan on Tuesday, official sources said. They said that two soldiers identified as Sultan and Qamar were sitting on the bank of a seasonal stream when they were swept away by gushing water.