Briefs...

‘PPP destroyed farmers in Sindh’
ISLAMABAD: Member National Assembly from Thatta Syed Ayaz Ali Shah Sherazi has said that the Peoples Party has destroyed land owners, farmers and tenants in Sindh in last many years and it is only shedding crocodile tears now to hide its miserable performance. He said in the country the price of sugarcane is Rs 180 per maund but in Sindh it is only Rs 155 per maund. He said the farmers in Sindh are concerned about rates of rice and only favourite people are getting wheat bardana.Sherazi while commenting on the statement of Khurshid Shah, said the opposition leader should look into the performance of the government in Sindh.

Free medical camp held in Quetta
QUETTA: Frontier Corps Balochistan arranged a free medical camp in Marwar area on the outskirts of Quetta, on Wednesday. A spokesman for FC said that doctors and lady doctors examined 700 patients including 182 men, 212 women and 321 children at the camp. The patients were also given free of cost medicines by the FC medical team, he said.Commandant Ghaza Band Scouts, Col Muhammad Sajjad Anwar visited the camp and said that the FC would continue serving poor patients by arranging free medical camps.

Commander Kuwait Naval Force calls on air chief
ISLAMABAD: Commander Kuwait Naval Force, Maj-Gen Khaled Ahmed Abdullah called on Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, at Air Headquarters here on Wednesday.According to PAF press release, both the dignitaries remained together for some time and discussed various matters of defence and military cooperation. The air chief assured Commander Kuwait Naval Force of enhancing military cooperation between the two brotherly countries. The air chief also presented the souvenir to honourable dignitary at the occasion.

Three brothers among four held for human smuggling
By our correspondent
GUJRANWALA: An FIA team on Wednesday arrested four human traffickers, including three brothers, in separate incidents. The FIA team led by Inspector Sajjad Haider raided a hideout at Shakargarh and arrested three brothers, Abid Iqbal, Wahid Iqbal and Tariq Iqbal, who were wanted in a human smuggling case. The same team raided at Gujrat and arrested proclaimed offender Irfan.

Martyred soldier buried in TT Singh
By our correspondent
TOBA TEK SINGH: Rana Muhammad Zahid, a soldier who was martyred while fighting terrorists at Pir Ghar area of Ladha Tehsil, South Waziristan on Monday, was buried at his ancestral graveyard at Chak 339/GB Bhammipura near Rajana on Tuesday night. Zahid was among those soldiers who were martyred in a suicide attack. Scores of people from various walks of life attended his funeral prayers. An army contingent presented guard of honour while a floral wreath was laid on his grave by the army officers.

Three held as brothel raided in Pindi
RAWALPINDI: Police, continuing its operation against anti-social elements, busted a brothel and arrested three accused, including a woman, who were allegedly involved in immoral activities. According to Rawalpindi police spokesman, the Pirwadhai police, acting on a tip-off conducted a raid at a hotel and netted Muhammad Amir, Jahangir and a woman. A case has been registered against the accused while further investigation is underway, the spokesman said.

Early arrest of killers of girl student in Malakand sought
By our correspondent
BATKHELA: Condemning the killing of the schoolgirl a day earlier, the residents of Dargai tehsil Wednesday asked the provincial government to arrest the accused involved in the brazen murder of the student forthwith. Led by the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) district president Maulana Jamaluddin, the residents, relatives, students, teachers and political activists of various parties took out protest procession against the killing of grade 8th student, Laiba Daud. The protesters were carrying banners, placards and pictures of the slain student and chanted slogans against the local administration for not arresting the accused so far. They blocked the Malakand Road for three hours for traffic. Maulana Jamaluddin, PTI leader Iftikhar Khan and District Councillor Qazi Rashid asked government to bring the killers Laiba Daud to justice as early as possible.

Ex-MNA expelled from JUI-F over ‘betrayal’
By our correspondent
MANSEHRA: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has expelled its former Member National Assembly (MNA) Laiq Mohammad Khan from its ranks for “betraying the party.” “We have expelled Laiq Mohammad from the party as he betrayed us and supported the candidates of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the recently held local government elections,” a former senator Hidayatullah Shah, who is also district head of the JUI-F, told reporters on Wednesday. Laiq Mohammad, who is the brother of former provincial president of PTI Senator Azam Khan Swati and father of Shehryar Khan, nominated for the office of district nazim Mansehra by the PTI, was once elected MNA from JUI-F platform. Hidayatullah Shah said that Laiq Mohammad betrayed the JUI-F when his son Shehryar Khan announced joining the PTI before the LG elections. He said Shehryar Khan had earlier joined JUI-F at a public meeting in Oghi in the presence of party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Two murder convicts hanged in Kot Lakhpat jail
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Two death row prisoners were hanged in Kot Lakhpat Jail on Wednesday. The convicts were identified as Tariq alias Tara, who had killed one Zahid, and Aftab Bahadu, who had killed a woman and her two children in 1992. The appeals of the convicts for clemency were rejected. They were allowed to meet their families before execution. The jail administration had tightened security at the jail at the time of execution. Bodies were handed over to the deceased families after completing legal formalities. Meanwhile, two prisoners of the same jail died under mysterious circumstances. They were identified as Amanat Masih, 40, of Shadbagh and Ali Sher of Haveli Lakha Deepalpur. On the day of incident, their condition went critical and they were rushed to hospital where they died.

Dengue in Punjab completely under
control in first phase: adviser
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq has said that due to concerted efforts of the departments concerned, dengue is completely under control in the province. He said the first phase of dengue season was over while the next phase would start with monsoon rains for which departments concerned should remain alert. He said this while presiding over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Dengue at the Civil Secretariat, according to a handout issued on Wednesday. Besides elected representatives, senior officers of all the departments concerned, public health experts, clinicians, entomologists and epidemiologists, representatives of Pakistan Railways, Metrological Department, SNGPL and cantonment attended the meeting.
A tragic end to ‘love affair’
By our correspondent
HARIPUR: A man and a woman allegedly shot dead each other in the limits of village Sari Pindori after they failed to solemnise their marriage, the police said on Wednesday. Shahbaz, 24, resident of Khalabat, and a woman, 27, had an affair. The woman was reportedly married to someone against her will a few months ago. However, family sources said both of them kept on meeting secretly and finally decided to end their lives together. As per plan, according to police and family sources, both the lovers met in Sari Pindori village Wednesday afternoon; the girl first fired two shots on Shahbaz and then the guy fired a single shot in her temple, killing her on the spot. Locals took the two to the Women and Children’s Hospital where Shahbaz also succumbed to injuries after recording statement confirming that they both had shot each other as they had promised to live and die together.

Teenage boy kidnapped in Peshawar
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: Unidentified criminals kidnapped a teenage boy from Akhunabad on Wednesday. Police said one Amjad, son of Nazir, was kidnapped by unidentified people from near his house. Also, the Daudzai police have lodged a case against three relatives of one Samiullah who was kidnapped on May 11 and was later found dead.