Briefs...

Six stolen vehicles recovered in Peshawar
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The police claimed to have busted a gang of carjackers and recovered six stolen vehicles from their possession here on Thursday.Speaking at a press conference, Superintendent of Police (SP) City Muhammad Afzal said that acting on a tip-off, the police raided the den of the car-lifters and arrested Javed, Naseeb, Fazal Sharif and Noor Badshah.He said the police had also recovered six stolen cars and two motorcycles from their possession. The official added that the police had tightened noose around carjackers and the crackdown against them would continue.

107 schools named after APS victims
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Thursday named various public sector schools after the martyrs of the December 16 attack on the Army Public School and College.A total 107 government high and higher secondary schools were renamed throughout the province.The renamed schools included 63 of Peshawar district, 10 of Charsadda district, five of Nowshera and Malakand districts, four of Kohat and Mardan districts, three of Karak district, two each of Swabi, Lakki Marwat, Hangu and Abbottabad districts; one school each
in Chitral, Lower Dir, Mansehra, Tank and Hairpur districts.

150kg of explosives seized
By our correspondent
BISHAM: The police claimed to have seized a car transporting 150 kilograms of explosives from Rawalpindi to Kohistan. The sources said the police during a routine checking stopped a car in Dandai area and recovered 150 kilograms of explosives from the trunk of the car. The police arrested the driver of the car identified as Fahim.

Guard injured in gun accident
HAFIZABAD: A security guard of a private school in Kolo Tarar locality suffered a bullet wound when his gun went off accidently on Thursday.Faisal Imran, son of Muhammad Inayat, was on duty at the school at its gate when his gun went off accidently and a bullet hit him, leaving him injured.

NAB files Rs510m reference against
ex-secretary, other officials in KP
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday filed a reference of Rs510 million in the accountability court against Tariq Awan, a long serving secretary of the Workers Welfare Board, and other officials for their alleged involvement in illegal appointments, sale of scholarships and gross violations of rules in acquisition of land for welfare projects for labourers. A NAB official said the reference was filed against the former secretary Workers Welfare Board, former project director Abdul Waheed Qureshi, Muhammad Asghar, Manzoor Ahmad Ghauri, Naeem Rabbani and Arsalan. The NAB had arrested Tariq Awan on April 25, 2014 after collecting proof of his involvement in corrupt practices. He said the official caused a huge loss to the exchequer in an underhand shady procurement deals and illegal appointments. The official said the NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had authorised various inquiries, which established the allegations against the accused and finally led to his arrest.

Displaced students from NWA stage protest
By our correspondent
BANNU: The internally displaced students from North Waziristan Thursday staged a protest to demand an early return of the displaced families to their native areas. Led by the students’ leader Shafqatullah Dawar, the protesters gathered outside the Bannu Press Club to stage the protest. The speakers said that the tribespeople were displaced from their homes and forced to live a miserable life in camps. They said that though the government had announced phase-wise return of the NWA IDPs to their native areas, no visible steps were taken in this regards so far.“The promise is yet to materialise as the date given for starting of the return process is approaching,” said Shafqatullah.The students asked the government to start the return process of the IDPs to their native areas at the earliest.

PR double track in Lahore-Okara section to be ready by April
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Pakistan Railways has decided to allow traffic on the 36-km double-track from Habibabad to Bhoe Asal in the Lahore-Okara section with a speed limit of 120 km per hour. After this, the only closed track will be 42-km double-track from Okara Cantt to Habibabad in the Karachi-Shahdrah Section on which 90 percent progress has already been made. The double-track from Karachi to Shahdrah is expected to be operational by the start of April. Chief Executive Officer Pakistan Railways Muhammad Javaid Anwar monitored the Lahore-Okara Section of the double-track with the Federal Government Inspector of Railways Mian Muhammad Arshad and General Manager Infrastructure Ghazanfar Abbass including other officers and gave instructions regarding operation of the double-track to the staff.

LHCBA to observe ‘black day’ every
week against military courts
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) on Thursday announced holding a black day every week to protest against the establishment of military courts. Adopting a resolution, a general house meeting of the bar rejected the establishment of the military courts. Speaking on the occasion, bar President Pir Masood Chishti said military courts amounted to deviation from the Constitution and establishing a parallel judicial system. He said the bar would observe black day on every Thursday and lawyers would perform their work wearing black armbands. Black flags would also be hoisted on the bar premises, he added.

Impersonator caught by Lahore board authorities
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The examination staff of Lahore Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) caught an impersonator during the ongoing matriculation annual exam 2015 on Thursday. Impersonator M Liaqat, son of Ashiq Hussain, was caught red-handed taking exam in place of original candidate Zain Ijaz, son of Muhammad Ijaz, roll 279081. An FIR was registered.

Two human traffickers held in Gujranwala
By our correspondent
GUJRANWALA: The FIA arrested two human traffickers from Pasrur on Thursday. The FIA raided a travel agency and arrested human traffickers Tayyab Ali and M Ashraf. The FIA also recovered six passports and other documents from them. According to preliminary inquiry, the accused were doing the business without obtaining a licence from the government.

Robbery suspect flees court in Lahore
By our correspondent
LAHORE: A robbery suspect managed to escape police custody after a single bench of the Lahore High Court dismissed his bail petition on Thursday. Mukhtar was wanted by local police of Okara in millions of rupees robbery case. However, the suspect through his counsel pleaded that the police implicated him in the case with mala fide intention. He asked the court to grant him bail. The court, however, dismissed the petition. Seeing the unfavourable decision by the court, the suspect dodged the police officials and managed a successful escape.

Boy dies as wall collapses in Mohmand
GHALLANAI: A minor boy was killed and girl sustained injuries in a wall collapse incident in Ambar teshil in Mohmand Agency on Thursday, locals said. They said that the wall of Nazir’s house collapsed due to heavy rain. As a result, his six-year-old son Fawad Khan died on the spot while his minor daughter Saima sustained injuries. The injured was rushed to the hospital where her condition was stated to be stable. —Correspondent

Three-day skiing competition concludes in Malam Jabba
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The three-day amateur skiing competition concluded in Malam Jabba in the scenic Swat valley on Thursday. The skiing tour was organised by the Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) in collaboration with the Thrill Seekers, said a press release. The organisers said the skiing tour was a unique one for the youth and adventurists in which 26 students, including six female students, from various educational institutes of Peshawar participated. The students were from different age groups, including grade-4 students from City School and Beacon House. Speaking at the concluding ceremony, Adviser to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Museums and Youth Affairs Amjad Afridi said the provincial government was taking a number of steps to empower youth and womenfolk. The adviser said that they should think again because the TCKP and the Thrill Seekers had proved this claim wrong by conducting an adventurous ski tour in Malam Jabba.

Engineering college closed over students-faculty row
By our correspondent
SUKKUR: The students-teachers of ZA Bhutto Shaheed Engineering College, Khairpur, has resulted in closure of the college for the last two days. The students and teachers are on strike. Reports said a row between a student Saad Bhand of the Petroleum Technology and a senior teacher Yaqoob Soomro developed over a petty issue, which intensified and paralysed educational activities at the college. The students are on strike for two days over the attitude of the teacher. On the other hand, teachers also want that the student should apologise. Meanwhile, Rangers and police have been deployed at the college.

Over 10,000 officials deployed
for Horse and Cattle Show security
By our correspondent
LAHORE: More than 10,000 officials of law-enforcement agencies provided comprehensive security to the guests and visitors on the first day of National Horse and Cattle Show on Thursday.The visitors were allowed entry after thorough checking through metal-detectors and walk-through gates. Identity of every visitor, even officials of security agencies, was checked. The visitors were allowed to enter the show after checking at 12 points. Police also conducted a search operation in the nearby areas and premises of the show and checked the identities of the residents.

Student injured in failed kidnapping attempt in Islamabad
By our correspondent
Islamabad: A Land Cruiser riding gang of gunmen shot and injured a student of the International Islamic University during a failed attempt of kidnapping at the Islamabad Highway near Fazaia Colony on Thursday evening, police said. Bilal Khan, hailing from Northern Areas and a student of International Islamic University, was going to the PWD Colony to meet his uncle when a Land Cruiser riding gunmen tried to kidnap him. However, when he resisted they shot at and sped away, leaving him seriously injured. The victim was shifted to the PIMS in critical condition.

Wapda employees threaten to suspend
power supply in country
By our correspondent
MULTAN: Wapda Hydroelectric Labour Union activists took out a rally against the proposed privatisation of Wapda here on Thursday. The rally was taken out from Mumtazabad Complex up to Multan Electric Power Company Headquarters on Khanewal Road. The protesters were chanting slogans against the privatisation of Wapda. They were also carrying placards and banners. The protesting workers criticised the government bid to privatise the national assets, which had been built after the long struggle and investment from the national exchequer. The workers warned of switching off electricity across the country.

Three get imprisonment in Mansehra rape case
By our correspondent
MANSEHRA: An anti-terrorism court in Abbottabad on Thursday handed down 14-year imprisonment to two convicts who had allegedly raped a college student and 10-year imprisonment to another convict who drove the car. A cleric and his two accomplices took a first-year student to their car with the help of a class fellow of the victim on May 12 last year and two of them raped her repeatedly in the moving car. The police later arrested Qari Naseer, his two accomplices Mohammad Faizan, Hussain Mushtaq and Anam Bibi, a class fellow of the victim.