Briefs...

Woman dies in NWA as roof of house caves in
By our correspondent
GHALLANAI: A woman was killed and two other persons sustained injuries in a roof collapse in Lakrobauta area in Safi tehsil in Mohmand Agency on Monday, locals said.They said that roof of a house of one Laiq Khan caved in due to heavy rain in the region. As a result, his wife was killed while his minor son Rafiulalh and a man sustained injuries. The locals rushed to the spot and started rescue activities. They retrieved the body and pulled out the trapped persons in an injured condition after hectic efforts.The injured were taken to the hospital where their condition was stated to be stable.

My statements against corruption taken as
anti-government: Sarwar
By our correspondent
TOBA TEK SINGH: PTI leader Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar has said that whenever he talked about corruption during his governorship, the PML-N leadership took it as an anti-government statement. Addressing a press conference at the house of former MNA Riaz Fatyana at Kamalia on Sunday night, Ch Sarwar said that when he pointed out corruption in the country during the PPP’s rule, its leadership also took it as an anti-government statement. He said that the PPP and PML-N leadership had decided that whenever he would talk against corruption, it would be against the two parties. Later, Ch Sarwar visited the house of former federal information minister Khalid Ahmad Kharal and met him.

Senate chairman to be from PPP: Wattoo
By our correspondent
NANKANA SAHIB: PPP Central Punjab president Manzoor Wattoo Monday said the government has completely failed to deliver.Addressing a press conference at residence of PPP candidates for NA 137 Rai Shah Jahan Bhatti, Wattoo said all government resources are being used for the success of the PML-N candidate in the by-election of the NA 137. He accused the lawmakers of hurling threats to change loyalties in connection with the NA 137 by election. Wattoo said rulers during election campaign had claimed ending load shedding in three months and now they are again deceiving the masses of the constituency by promising jobs and development schemes.He said law and order situation is alarming. He said the PPP has the majority in Senate and the next chairman would be from the party. PPP provincial leaders Ch Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, Raja Riaz Ahmed, Ch Manzoor Ahmed and others were also present.

Tribesmen hail presidential order
on Fata Senate elections
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The Waziristan chapter of Fata Grand Alliance has hailed the presidential order on the Senate elections in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and hoped that would help flourish democracy in the tribal belt. Speaking at a news conference here in the Peshawar Press Club on Monday, chairman of the alliance Malik Khan Marjan Wazir said that President Mamnoon Hussain took a right decision by passing the order to stay the elections in Fata. He said that the order had stopped the way of horse-trading in the Senate elections. “We are thankful to the president for taking immediate action against rigging in the Senate elections,” he said. The tribal elder asked MNAs from Fata to avoid horse-trading and raise voice for the rights of the tribal people in the National Assembly. He called for convening an all parties conference for discussing the issues of internally displaced persons from North Waziristan.

Accused injured in suicide attempt in Tank police lock-up
By our correspondent
TANK: An accused was injured while attempting to commit suicide in Mulazai Police Station lockup here on Monday, sources said. The sources said that the police had arrested an accused whose identity could not be ascertained and put him into the lockup where he injured himself in a suicide attempt. The police shifted him to the District Headquarters Hospital in Tank where his condition was stated to be stable.

Man shot dead by rivals on court premises in Kasur
By our correspondent
KASUR: A man was shot dead over an old enmity on the Pattoki tehsil courts premises here on Monday. Imran and Irfan had an old enmity and both had filed petitions against each other in the courts. On the day of the incident, Imran came to the Tehsil Courts at Pattoki for hearing of his case. When Imran came out from the court, nine accused including Irfan allegedly shot him dead. However, people gathered outside the court and caught Irfan and handed him over to local police.

Two extortionists arrested in Swat
By our correspondent
MINGORA: The police arrested two extortionists in Green Chowk in Mingora City in Swat district on Monday, official sources said. They said that one Saifur Rehman was receiving calls from unknown cell phone numbers demanding Rs5,00,000 from him. He had already paid Rs60,000 earlier. He told the police about the calls. According to the police plan, Saifur Rehman told the extortionists that he would hand over the money to the extortionists in Green Chowk. When the accused reached the spot, the police arrested them and recovered extortion money from them.

Police stop burial of 16-year-old girl
By our correspondent
TOBA TEK SINGH: Pirmahal police stopped burial of a 16-year-old girl at Chak 663/4-GB on Sunday night. The burial of Kainat Rauf, daughter of farmer Abdul Rauf Gujjar, was about to take place when police were informed that she was murdered. Police rushed to the spot and shifted the body to the Pirmahal THQ Hospital for autopsy.

Pensioners stage protest in Peshawar
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: Members of All Pakistan Pensioners Association staged a protest outside the Press Club on Monday. Led by the provincial president of the association, Fida Durrani, the protesters chanted slogans in favour of their demands that also included raise in pension for those who retired from the government service after 2001.

Kidnapped child recovered
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The CIA Police have recovered a four-and-a-half-year-old son of a prominent businessman of Lahore who was kidnapped for ransom of Rs30 million and arrested three criminals. The child Muhammad Ibrahim was a student of a private educational institution. The police team received the information from the family of the child and the details of the calls received for ransom. The investigation revealed that kidnappers had taken the child to Bannu. The police team conducted a raid in Bannu and arrested Usman, driver of the businessman Muzamal Ahmed. Police also recovered the child.

Nadra directed to verify thumbprints in NA-118
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Election Tribunal on Monday directed National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) to verify thumbprints of voters of NA-118, the constituency from where Malik Riaz of PML-N was elected as member of the National Assembly.Hamid Zaman, a runner-up candidate of PTI, had filed the application submitting that massive rigging was made in the election. He said NADRA had verified 68 bags and then the inspection was stopped while 99 bags went missing. He stated that the missing bags were found later but the inspection was pending still. He requested the tribunal to direct the NADRA to verify voters’ thumbprints.

Kashmiri women worst victim of state terrorism: JKPM
ISLAMABAD: The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples’ Movement (JKPM) has said that Kashmiri women were the worst victims of state terrorism unleashed by India agencies during the last 25 years. In a statement, JKPM senior Vice Chairman Mir Shahid Saleem said women have been a very soft target of the Indian agencies in Kashmir, KMS reported. He said molestation has been used as a weapon of war in Kashmir while the victims of Kunun Poshpura mass rape, Shopian killing and molestations of Aasiya and Neelofer incident were still waiting for justice. He called upon the international community to take note of the sufferings of the Kashmiri women.
Nine foreigners among 270 suspects held in Kohat
By our correspondent
KOHAT: The police arrested 270 suspected persons, including nine foreigners, during search operation in various areas in the district and seized arms on Monday, official sources said.They said that the police carried out search operation in Bilitang, Kharmato, Dheri Banda, Tapi, Gumbat, Ghurizai, Jangelkhel, Muhammadzai, Mian Garhi, Ustarzai, Marai, Kachai, Dhoda and other areas. During the raids, the police arrested 270 suspected persons including nine foreigners and seized 11 Kalashnikovs, two guns, three repeaters and six shotguns from their possession.

Speakers at convention slam ‘drive against seminaries’
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: A convention organised by the Jamiat Tulaba-e-Arabia on Monday called for stopping crackdown against the madrassas in the name of the drive against militancy. The convention was held at the Nishtar Hall. A number of leaders of the Jamaat-i-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl addressed the participants. They urged the government not to insult the teachers and students of the Islamic schools on the pretext of action against terrorists. The speakers said the religious schools were not promoting terrorism. They asked the government not to defame the seminaries and its students.

‘New irrigation system for Pothohar’
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Punjab Irrigation Minister Mian Yawar Zaman has said the government is launching Pothohar Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (PCIAP) in the Pothohar Plateau to improve new irrigation and water management system, which in turn will enhance agriculture productivity in the region. Under the project, a maintenance and rehabilitation programme will be carried out to ensure safety, integrity and continued serviceability of existing small dams together with identification of new sites and construction of more small dams along with their irrigation system and command areas in Pothohar Plateau, which is a tract between rivers Indus and Jhelum covering an area of 5.43 million acres. Under the project, as many as thirty-seven (37) new sites have been identified in Pothohar region for construction of more small dams to capture the run-off produced by rain fall.

Court acquits two on terrorism charges
By Akhtar Amin
PESHAWAR: An anti-terrorism court on Monday acquitted two suspected terrorists charged with possessing six hand-grenades after the prosecution failed to prove the charges. The judge, Salim Jan Khan, acquitted suspected militants Naeemullah, resident of Bajaur Agency, and Niaz Muhammad, hailing from Sarband in Peshawar district, in the case after the state lawyer failed to prove charges against them. The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Peshawar’s police station had booked the two on November 6, 2014 under Section 5 of Explosive Substance Act and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).