Briefs...

604 suspects arrested in Peshawar
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The police arrested at least 604 suspected persons and seized arms and ammunition from them in search and strike operation continuing under the National Action Plan, said an official communiqué on Monday.The communiqué said that during the search and strike operation launched by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police in the province, the police arrested 604 suspected persons and seized arms and ammunition.It added that 421 houses and 225 hotels were checked and 25 cases were registered against the violators.

Cops promoted in Hazara Division
By our correspondent
HARIPUR: The deputy inspector general of police (DIG) Hazara Range approved the promotion of 19 assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) to the rank of sub-inspectors (SIs) on Monday, a press release stated.A news release stated that meeting of a promotion committee was held with DIG-Hazara Range Akhtar Hayat Gandapur in the chair. It was attended by District Police Officers (DPOs) Abbottabad and Hairpur Sher Akbar Khan and Dr Khurram Rashid, respectively.
Speaker summons SECP chief
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq summoned the Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) chairman in his chamber at the Parliament House. The directions were issued after a parliamentarian drew attention of the chair that annual report of the SECP which was laid before the House on Monday contains a full page picture of the SECP chairman.
PTI activists hold demo
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Several activists of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Monday night staged a sit-in outside the residence of party Chairman Imran Khan against non-availability of water, gas and electricity in Karak district.Those agitating alleged that the provincial government was not showing interest in resolution of their basic issues, marring their day to day life. They vowed not to move away from the venue until their leader came out and held out a categorical assurance to them.

Two children drown in Khairpur
By our correspondent
SUKKUR: Two children drowned in a cesspool in Jacobabad while a baby drowned in a manhole in Khairpur on Monday.Reports said two children Zohaib and Jani, who were playing near a pond of sewerage drowned in it. People attempted to rescue them, but the children had died before they could be taken out of the water. In another incident at Allahabad Mohallah in Khairpur, a baby Fiza fell into an open drain and suffocated to death. Neighbours and her parents staged a protest against the TMA and demanded registration of a case and arrest of its authorities.
Doctor picked up for interrogation in Peshawar
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: Security officials on Monday picked up a doctor from Warsak Road, a source said.The source said the doctor, who belongs to Khyber Agency, was picked up and shifted to an unknown place. He will be interrogated for treating suspected militants, said the source. No official, however, confirmed the report.

Law, order beyond Punjab govt’s ability: Qadri
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr. Tahirul Qadri has said the calling of Rangers to control Christians’ violent protests in Lahore was an open admission of incompetence by the Punjab government and controlling the law and order was far beyond the ability of Punjab rulers. Talking to PAT’s provincial President Basharat Jaspal on phone from Canada on Monday, he said if army and Rangers had to do all the work then provincial government should pack up and go home. He said if the Punjab government had been competent, the blasts and resulting rioting would have never occurred. He held the police responsible for the burning alive of two Muslims which could have been prevented if police had acted on time, and alleged that the chief minister was shedding crocodile’s tears.

Killer of religious scholar held in Mansehra
By our correspondent
MANSEHRA: The Mansehra police have arrested a man who allegedly killed a leader of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat in Oghi last month. “We have arrested in connection with the murder of Maulana Mehmood Shah over an old enmity,” said Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, Deputy Inspector General of Police Hazara Range while speaking at a press conference on Monday. The accused, Salahuddin from Diamer, was also produced before the journalists with his face covered with a mask. Gandapur said the accused had threatened the son of the slain religious scholar. “We received the mobile data of slain scholar and widened the scope of investigation that led to the arrest of the accused,” he said. Maulana Mehmood Shah was gunned down on February 18.

Tribesmen demand uniform power supply
By our correspondent
LANDIKOTAL: Residents of Landikotal on Monday demanded the authorities to reduce the loadshedding duration, which has affected studies of the students who have to appear in exams in the current months. Speaking to a monthly Meet-the-Press Program at Landikotal Press Club on Monday, Lal Rahim, Malikzada Shahab and others said that they had electricity supply for two out of 24 hours. He said that students of matriculation and intermediate have their exams starting from this month. They said that if the electricity was not restored, the future of the hundreds of students would be at risk.

Qureshi warns of staging sit-in
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Senior Vice-Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, has said the PTI will stage a sit-in Lahore if the government doesn’t mend its ways and continues to delay in setting up the Judicial Commission. Addressing a press conference, PTI’s senior leader said that record rigging had been proved in the constituencies whose results were reassessed. He said the PTI movement would be strengthened in the coming days and Lahore would become the centre of activity now.

Two killed as roof caves in
By our correspondent
ABBOTTABAD: Two persons, including a woman, were killed and two others sustained injuries when a roof collapsed in Mera Kalan locality in Abbottabad district on Monday, eyewitnesses said. They said that due to torrential rain in Abbottabad, the roof of the house of one Muhammad Iqbal collapsed in Mera Kalan in which his wife and nephew Bashir were killed while he and his son Kabir were injured.

NWA tribesman shot dead in Mansehra
By our correspondent
MANSEHRA: A man from the North Waziristan tribal region was shot dead over a minor dispute in Ghazikot Township on Monday. Waseem Arshad, a local, argued with Kaleem Gul belonging to North Waziristan over a water supply issue and allegedly later shot him dead. The police rushed to the scene and arrested the alleged killer. “We have arrested the accused,” said Zulfiqar Jadoon, Deputy Superintendent of Police. He said the accused and the slain man lived in the same bungalow.
Two new grid stations to help cut outages in Sialkot
By our correspondent
SIALKOT: Two new grid stations installed in the city will improve the power distribution system and the people will get relief in loadshedding in the upcoming summer. According to the Gepco sources, Old Power House GIS 132KV grid station had started functioning while 132KV Ghansarpur grid station would be completed soon. They said that after functioning of both grid stations, the length of distribution lines would be decreased and power outages would reduce in the summer. They said that 746MW power generation project at Head Marala, inaugurated by Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif recently, was in the last stages of completion.

55-year-old Turi-Bangash dispute resolved
By our correspondent
PARACHINAR: A grand Jirga resolved a 55-year-old dispute between Turi and Bangash tribes, official sources said on Monday. The sources said that the dispute, which had claimed several lives, started over the ownership of a piece of land and graveyard 55 years ago. The political administration arranged several Jirgas between the two tribes and both sides agreed to the terms of the Jirga.

Smuggling bid foiled at Peshawar airport
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The Anti-Narcotics Force on a tip-off foiled a bid to smuggle abroad one kilogramme of heroin and arrested an accused here at the Bacha Khan International Airport, said a press release on Monday. According to the press release, the passenger, whose name was not disclosed, was about to board the Air Arabia flight to the UAE when the authorities searched his luggage and recovered one kilogramme of heroin from it.

Drug-traffickers arrested in Kohat
By our correspondent
KOHAT: The police arrested two drug-traffickers and seized a cache of arms from them on the Indus Highway in the limits of Jarma Police Station on Monday, an official said. Speaking at a press conference, DSP Circle Sona Khan said that acting on a tip-off, the police barricaded a road near Sur Gul Bridge on the Indus Highway and signalled a car to stop. On thorough search, the police recovered 13 Kalakovs, two M-16 machine-guns, 43 pistols and numerous cartridges from the hidden cavities of the vehicle. The drug-traffickers identified as Fazal Muhammad and Abdur Rahim, residents of Matani area on outskirts of Peshawar, were arrested.

Three kidnapping suspects arrested
By our correspondent
PARACHINAR: The political administration arrested three suspected persons after two tribesmen went missing in the Shalozan area, sources said on Monday. The sources said that Muhammad Alam Khan and Sadiq Hussain dropped their friend Wajid Hussain at his home in Shalozan four days back, but the two did not return home. The family of the missing men said that the incident was a conspiracy to sabotage peace in the area. The political administration arrested three suspected persons identified as Wajid Hussain, Manzar Hussain and Shahid Hussain.

Three-year-old child slaughtered
By our correspondent
BAHAWALPUR: A three-year-old child was murdered by his relative at Basti Mauza Palla near Head Islam in Hasilpur Sadr police limits on Monday. Noor Muhammad reported to police that his relative Tariq took his son Muhammad Usman to his house and allegedly slaughtered him without any reason. Police have arrested the accused after registering a case. Meanwhile, talking to The News, Hasilpur SDPO Rao Naeem Shahid and Sadr SHO Akmal Rasool said that apparently the culprit had no enmity with the victim’s family.

Motorcyclist killed in accident
By our correspondent
FAISALABAD: A motorcyclist was killed in a road accident on Monday. Usman Sadiq, of Chak 72/JB, collided with another motorcyclist Ali Akbar, of Sahianwala negotiating a U-turn on the Jhang Road on Monday morning. As a result, Usman died on the spot, while Ali Akbar sustained critical injuries and was shifted to hospital.