Briefs...

Nadra finds no record of Shikarpur suicide bomber
By our correspondent
SUKKUR: No record of the Shikarpur Imambargah suicide bomber was found by Nadra office. Sources said that the Shikarpur Police had recovered the fingers of the suicide bomber from the crime scene and fingerprints were handed over to Nadra for verification. The SSP Shikarpur, Saqib Ismail Memon, had claimed that suspects arrested in different raids were involved in the Shikarpur blast. Suspect Khalil Ahmed Brohi had revealed that one of his accomplices Ilyas Brohi had carried out a suicide blast on Shikarpur Imamarghah which claimed 65 lives.Sources said the Nadra office could not find any data after the examining the collected fingersprints of the alleged attacker.

Two coalminers die of suffocation in Harnai
HARNAI: Two coalminers died of suffocation inside a coal mine here on Thursday. The Levies said two coalminers, including Munir Zaman and Akthar Zaman, were working inside a coalmine when gas filled in it, causing their death. The bodies were retrieved from the coalmine and sent to their native areas. The victims belonged to the Swat area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

PM allocates portfolios to Mushahidullah, Pervaiz Rashid
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif allocated on Thursday the port-folios of Climate Change and Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage to Federal Ministers Mushahidullah Khan and Pervaiz Rashid, respectively. The notification issued by the Cabinet Division said that Senator Pervaiz Rashid has also been given additional charge of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights with immediate effect.

Quetta receives rain
QUETTA: The provincial capital Quetta and parts of northern Balochistan received rain on Thursday night. The Met Office also forecast rain for the provincial capital on Friday. The highest maximum temperature was recorded at 18 Centigrade and the lowest minimum 07 Centigrade.The partly cloudy to cloudy weather with chances of rain has been forecast for the rest of the region.

Ban on kite sale in Quetta
QUETTA: The DC Quetta has imposed a ban on the sale of kites under Section 144, said a handout issued here on Thursday.

Disabled people of KP demand increase in job quota
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: A number of educated and skilled people with disabilities, including blind, deaf and other disabled youths, on Thursday asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to increase quota for them in government jobs from two percent to five percent. Under the banner of Welfare Organisation of Pakistan and Awaz, a non-governmental organization, the disabled people staged protest in front of the Peshawar Press Club, expressing their concern over non-implementation of allocated quota for them in government jobs. “I received my education in a special school in Mardan but I am yet to get any employment in government departments,” said a blind youth, Noor Rehman, hailing from Lund Khwar village. He said he had applied for low-scale jobs in the Education Department on special quota but was disappointed several times. They also demanded relief and facilities in state-run hospitals and other medical centres for special persons and their family members.

Ex-minister’s kidnapped nephew recovered
By our correspondent
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The kidnapped nephew of former provincial minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sher Azam Khan Wazir was released in Zhob district in Balochistan. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Sher Azam Wazir said the Sulemankhel tribesmen had kidnapped Atiqur Rehman from Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan Agency, last year. He said Atiqur Rehman was released due to the efforts made by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and political administration of South Waziristan Agency. The victim was produced before the media on the occasion. Fakhar Azam Wazir, who is Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) and is son of Sher Azam Wazir, was present during the press conference. Our Correspondent from Bannu quoted sources as saying that Attiqur Rehman was kidnapped for ransom and was set free after Rs20 million was paid to the kidnappers. The family didn’t confirm this piece of information.

Nine held for violating renting rules in Rawalpindi
RAWALPINDI: Local police registered nine cases on violation of renting rules here on Thursday. The people were held as they did not have required particulars of their guests and tenants. As per details, the police of Cantonment, Rata Amral and Pirwadhai launched search operation, during which they found owners of houses had not kept proper record of their tenants. According to a spokesman for police, cases were registered under the Punjab Information of Temporary Residence Ordinance 2015 which requires Under Punjab Tenants Ordinance 2015 that the details of new tenants should be provided to the police within 24 hours of giving possession of the property, he added.

Multan Corps organises mock exercise
MULTAN: A mock exercise organised by Multan Corps, involving soldiers of Pakistan Army, Air Force and AirportSecurity Force (ASF) was held at the newly-built Multan International Airport to enhance the capacity of the ASF to handle any emergency situation and fortify airport security. According to a press release issued by ISPR, Pakistan Army, Air Force and Airport Security Force’s trained personnel participated in the exercise that also involved Cobra helicopters and Jet Rangers. The rehearsal was a practical step towards capacity-building and modern training of the ASF. The practical exercises would strengthen the collective security initiatives taken by Corps Commander Multan Lt Gen Abid Pervaiz and enhance the standard of training.

Militant commander arrested in Bannu
By our correspondent
BANNU: The officials of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested a militant commander and recovered two hand-grenades from him in Mandan area, an official said on Thursday.Superintendent of Police CTD, Salahuddin Kundi said that acting on a tip-off, the CTD officials and personnel of the Elite Force raided a house in Gedar Mamakhel area. He said the police arrested a militant commander, Qari Shoaib, and recovered two hand-grenades from him. The official was shifted to an undisclosed location for an interrogation.

Murder case of minor boy resolved
By our correspondent
TANK: The police resolved the murder case of a minor boy and arrested the accused on Thursday, an official said.Speaking at a press conference, District Police Officer (DPO) Kifayatullah Wazir said that seven-year-old Saeedullah went out of house on Tuesday and did not return. He said the child body was found dumped in Wazirabad area the next day. Following the directives of the Deputy Inspector General of Dera Ismail Khan Range Abdul Ghafoor Afridi, the police constituted a committee to probe the matter and traced the accused. The official said the police arrested the accused identified as Noor Muhammad and seized the tool used in the crime.

258 more families return to SWA
By our correspondent
WANA: Another 258 displaced families from South Waziristan returned to their native areas in Sarwakai tehsil amid tight security on Thursday. The internally displaced persons (IDPs) gathered at the Kor Qila Camp in Tank. Free-medical checkup of the tribespeople were carried out there and they were provided medicines. The children were also administered anti-polio drops before leaving for their homes. About 871 families have returned to native areas so far since the launch of the return process.

Trader shot dead in DI Khan
By our correspondent
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A trader was killed and another sustained injuries when unidentified persons opened fire on them here on Thursday, official sources said. The sources said that gunmen opened fire on Ghulam Abbas in the Ghalla Mandi in Dera city, leaving him dead. Another trader, Naeem, suffered bullet injuries in the firing incident. The assailants escaped after committing the crime.

Youth commits suicide in Lahore
By our correspondent
LAHORE: A 22-year-old youth committed suicide over a domestic issue in Baghbanpura police limits on Thursday. Police have removed the body to morgue for autopsy. He was identified as Asher, son of James Maseeh. He worked as a janitor in Lahore.

Three mobile phone snatchers held
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The Sanda police arrested three cell-phone snatchers and recovered electronic appliances and illicit weapons from their possession. A police raiding team, led by Sanda SHO Hammad Akhtar, raided a den of mobile-phone snatchers and arrested Allah Ditta Islam, Ali and Umar Farooq. Police recovered a bike, computers, LCD, four cell-phones from them. The accused used to not only snatch cell-phones and ladies purses but also iron from local factories. DIG Operations has announced commendatory certificates for the police team.

Man shot dead in Pabbi
By our correspondent
NOWSHERA: Unidentified gunmen shot dead a man in Pabbi area in the district, police said on Thursday. They said that the gunmen opened fire on Aftab on the Grand Trunk Road in Pabbi area, leaving him dead on the spot. The accused managed to escape after committing the crime.