Briefs...

136,000 children to be vaccinated
in anti-measles drive in Loralai
DUKKI: Deputy Commissioner Loralai Shah Zaib Khan Kakar has said that about 136,000 children would be vaccinated during a 12-day anti-measles drive in Loralai district. He was talking to journalists, here on Thursday. He said: “All arrangements have been finalized to launch anti-measles campaign in Loralai from April 13 which would last till April 24”. District Health Officer Loralai, Nasrullah Ghalzai said that anti-measles campaign was being launched in 23 union councils of Loralai district.

Decision to close markets at 8pm slammed
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Oppositionleader in the Punjab Assembly Mian Mehmood ul Rasheed Thursday submitted an adjournment motion in PA Secretariat over irregularities in LDA City project.The Opposition leader said the PTI’s growing popularity had frustrated the PML-N leaders including Senator Pervaiz Rasheed. He said those who had claimed to address energy crisis within six months were now giving deadlines of six years.

Shahbaz gives Rs 1.8m to youth for treatment
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has given Rs 1,800,000 to Umar Amin of People’s Colony, Rawalpindi for his treatment abroad. Umar Amin’s father had presented an application to the CM for financial assistance through Punjab Minister for Labour Raja Ashfaq Sarwar who after approval of the assistance from the CM directed PML (N), Rawalpindi City, president and others to visit the house of Umar Amin and present the cheque.

Shop set on fire in Swat
By our correspondent
MINGORA: Unidentified robbers set a shop on fire after looting it in Gunbad Maira area here on Wednesday night, official sources said. They said unidentified burglars set a shop on fire after taking away Rs13,000 at midnight.

Three Levies men injured in Tank roadside blast
By our correspondent
WANA: An official of the political administration and three Levies personnel sustained injuries in a roadside blast in Dabara area in Tank, officials said on Wednesday. They said that political muharir, Shehryar Khan Mehsud, and three levies men were returning from Sarwakai area in South Waziristan to Tank in a car. They said the vehicle was targetted with an improvised explosive device (IED) on Tank-Wana road. As a result, the sources said, Shehryar Mehsud and three Levies soldiers, Noor Said, Bilal and Naeem, were injured. The injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Tank. The doctors at the DHQ referred the injured to the hospitals in Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar, said an official. The security forces launched a search in the area soon after the blast.

Complaint cell to be set up at IG Punjab’s office
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) Chairman Abdul Basit Thursday called on IGP Mushtaq Sukhera. The primary agenda of the meeting was to brainstorm measures aimed at building investors confidence vis-à-vis their grievances related to law and order. The formation of a special cell within the office of IG to cater to complaints/queries sent by PBIT on behalf of investors was discussed and agreed upon. This cell will be headed by a senior police official and will have a focal person assigned for ease of communication. During the discussion, the PBIT members were apprised of the government’s initiative for the creation of a special cell to redress the complaints of Overseas Pakistanis. The IG informed the PBIT Chairman about the recent efforts of the department for efficient management and control of crime. Director General Projects and Policy Research Ms Lubna Pathan and Director Policy Khurram Afzal Malik were present.

Toll rises to nine after two more killed
in feud over honour in eight years
By our correspondent
NAWABSHAH: A man and his nephew were murdered after a group of armed intruders opened indiscriminate firing in village Suleman Zardari. One woman was also injured. Police said a group of five armed persons attacked the house of Mukhtar and opened bursts of fire, which resulted in instant killing of 45-years- old Mukhtar Jatoi, his 35-years-old nephew Riaz Jatoi while they were sleeping. A woman, Mumtaz Khatoon, also received bullets injury. The bodies and the injured were shifted to People’s University Hospital. Police said the slain persons were residents of Warah Larkana and Mukhtar Jatoi had shifted here along with one Lakhan Jatoi after love marriage some eight years back. This made the relatives of the woman angry. Seven persons, including Lakhan, have been killed on the issue so far. Further investigation was in progress.

Hashish, heroin, wine recovered in raids
on hotel, drug dens in Nawabshah
By our correspondent
NAWABSHAH: The District police, under the directives of SSP Javed Jaskani, launched massive action against drug dens on Thursday. Daulatpur police conducted a raid at a hotel on Daulatpur Bypass, National Highway and recovered ten kilo of hashish and 1,000 bottles of wine. The raid, jointly conducted by DSP Yar Muhammad Rind and In-charge CIR Mubeen Parhiar, recovered hashish, heroin and wine bottles and arrested the hotel runners Ghulam Nabi Bughio, Abdul Sattar Panhwar, Mehtab Dahri and Amir Bakhsh Bughio. In another raid in Taj Colony and Gharibabad, police seized drugs and arrested five accused running the business. SSP had directed the police that the drug dens be eliminated and sealing of the factories preparing Gutka.

Four file papers for DI Khan Cantt election
By our correspondent
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Four candidates filed nomination papers to contest the election in the Cantonment Dera Ismail Khan to be conducted on April 25. The candidates including Malik Riaz, Maj (r) Kifayatullah, Nawabzada Farooq and Arifullah Khan filed their nomination papers and after thorough scrutiny the names of the qualified candidates would be announced to contest the polls. The number of total voters is 1419, including 727 men and 672 women. The polling would be held in the Federal Government High School in Cantonment on April 25.

Five slain traders laid to rest in Charsadda
By our correspondent
CHARSADDA: Five out of the 14 Pakistani traders who were killed by Taliban in Afghanistan a day earlier were laid to rest in their respective villages here on Thursday. Fourteen traders, belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were kidnapped by Taliban in Afghanistan two weeks ago and were being kept as hostage. They were killed on Wednesday and their bodies were handed over to the Pakistani authorities at Torkham Terminal later in the day. The five victims, belonging to Charsadda district, were laid to rest in Prang, Mian Killay, Old Bazaar and Majuki villages, respectively. The sources the traders were dealing in mustard oil and had gone to Afghanistan in connection with the business.

Retired govt official threatens self-immolation
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: An aged retired government employee from Buner district Thursday threatened to commit self-immolation outside the Chief Minister’s House if he was not provided justice forthwith. Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Hassanzada, a retired employee in the Irrigation Department in Buner, said that he had been observing protest for the last 100 days against the Irrigation Department. “I have served in the Irrigation Department for 40 years as gauge reader but his educated son was not recruited under the employees’ quota,” he said and added though his son had qualified test and interview for low scale job, the provincial irrigation minister recruited his blue-eyed from Swat district in Buner. He said the PTI-led government was claiming to promote merit and justice in all government departments but its own ministers were violating merit in recruitment.

Bid to smuggle birds thwarted
By our correspondent
LAKKI MARWAT: The Wildlife Department officials foiled a smuggling bid and seized precious wild birds on Thursday. Taking action on a tip-off, the wildlife Department employees started searching the vehicles near Dera-Darya Khan Bridge. the search, the sources said, hundreds of precious birds were recovered from the passenger vehicles. They said the seized birds included 22 red legged partridges, six Siberian cranes, three black partridges, two grey partridges, four ducks, 15 starling birds and 200 quails. He added that cases were registered against Shah Nawaz of Peshawar, Gulab Din of Zhob (Balochistan) and Muhammad Akram of Multan (Punjab) under relevant section of Wildlife Act 2015. Official revealed that the birds were being smuggled to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Balochistan.

Extortionists open fire on shopkeeper
By our correspondent
NOWSHERA: Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a shopkeeper after his refusal to give extortion in the limits of the Cantonment Police Station on Thursday, official sources said. The sources said that unidentified gunmen forced their entry into the shop of Liaqat Khan and demanded extortion. They opened fire on him after he refused to give extortion, but he escaped unhurt. Following the incident, Ayaz Paracha, president of the association, along with other traders reached the spot. They also closed down shops in protest against the incident. Ayaz Paracha flayed the government’s failure to protect the traders and asked the police to increase patrol in the area.

Tesco official arrested for graft
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Thursday arrested an official of the Tribal Electricity Supply Company (Tesco) on charges of corruption and recovered several fake appointment letters from him. An FIA official said that taking action on the complaint of one Attaur Rehman, the officials caught a Tesco official Muhammad Imran while taking Rs80,000 bribe from him. He said that the FIA officials also recovered several others fake appointment letters and seals of high-ups of Water and Power Development Authority from him. The official said the FIA lodged a case against the accused and started investigation.

PHCBA election on 25th
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The election for the Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) for the year 2015-16 would be held on April 25. The election commissioner for the upcoming election, Saadullah Khan Marwat, issued the schedule. As per the schedule, the candidates would submit nomination papers for the election till April 11. Scrutiny for the papers would be held on April 14. The withdrawal date for the nomination papers is April 17. The final list of the contesting candidates would be displayed on April 18 and election would be held on April 25. The election commissioner said for holding the election, polling stations would be established in seven places in six districts. These will include Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Kohat and Takhtbhai in Mardan district.

Terrorist gets 21-year jail term
By our correspondent
MANSEHRA: An ATC in Abbottabad on Thursday handed down 21-year-imprisonment to a terrorist for his involvement in many cases of terrorism in Hazara division. “A prisoner in our jail has been sentenced to 21-year-term by an ATC,” Abdul Qayyum, the superintendent of the Mansehra district jail, told reporters here. Qari Shahzad, who was facing charges of subversive activities, kidnapping for ransom and extortions in Mansehra and Abbottabad, was sentenced by the court in his presence. Sources said the convict also faced a case of threatening to kill the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader and others influential people by demanding extortion.