Briefs

Saira Afzal Tarar clarifies statement
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: While denying the statement in Senate on former president Pervez Musharraf, Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar has said that former military ruler Pervez Musharraf can never be the role model of any patriotic Pakistani citizen.While issuing explanatory statement she denied that she had described former dictator Pervez Musharraf as a role model in the Senate. She said that her statement was presented in a wrong manner, which had nothing to do with the real subject. She said that she had uttered these words in Senate in critical manner that former dictator Pervez Musharraf often used to say that ‘actions speak louder than words’ but he himself was not acting up these words.

Rs9m distributed among quake victims in Hangu
By our correspondent
HANGU: The relief cheques worth Rs9 million were distributed among the earthquake victims here on Thursday. District Nazim Mufti Ubaidullah and Deputy Commissioner Syed Mujeebur Rehman distributed cheques among the earthquake victims. Cheque of Rs100,000 was given to each family whose houses were partially damaged in the quake. The family of a minor girl, who was killed when the roof of her house collapsed in the earthquake, was given Rs600,000 while those who were injured in the quake were awarded Rs200,000 each.

Search operation launched in Sukkur Jail
By our correspondent
SUKKUR: Personnel of the Pakistan Army, along with officials of the FC and the jail police, conducted a search operation at the Central Jail here on Thursday. Jail Superintendent Shaihd Hussain Chajro said that the search operation was no objectionable or illegal item was recovered from the jail during the search operation.

UNDP to support LG representatives
By our correspondent
SWABI: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would provide financial support to the district council to help address the problems being faced by the people, an official said on Thursday. Speaking to the district council members here, Edward Rees, head of the UNDP for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, assured the district council members of provision of financial support. Former MNA Bushara Gohar and RAHA provincial programme manager Shukria Syed were also present on the occasion. The UNDP KP chief said that his organisaton had been working in all districts of the province and it would cooperate with the local government representatives for resolving the problems. District nazim Ameer Rehman said that it was a happy occasion for them that UNDP expressed readiness to work in the district. He said that each district council member was aware of the problems of his union council and would preparer a detailed report. He added that the UNDP would start project in the light of that report.

CPP launched in Lower Dir
By our correspondent
TIMERGARA: With the assistance of United Nations Development Project (UNDP), Community Policing Programme (CPP) was launched in Lower Dir here on Thursday. To this effect, a function was held at Police Line Timergara with the district police officer (DPO) Qasim Ali Khan in the chair. District Nazim Muhammad Rasool Khan, district naib nazim Abdur Rashid, CPP project director Qaisar Khan and Tehsil Nazim Timergara Riaz Muhammad were also present on the occasion. DPO Qasim Ali said without the assistance of society elimination of crimes was not possible and hoped that the CPP would prove highly helpful in this regard.

Man held for fraud in Shikarpur
By our correspondent
SUKKUR: A man who had been accused of having defrauded many people of millions of rupees on the pretext to arranging employment for them in Dubai has been arrested in Shikarpur after a two-year hunt by the police. Agha Sarfraz Khan Pathan of Shikarpur had been accused of having taken about rupees Rs2.5 million from 11 unemployed people from Larkana, Shikarpur and other districts of the province promising them jobs in Dubai. He had also allegedly arranged some fake visa orders and airline tickets. After having obtained money from the victims, he escaped. On the complaints of the victims, a Shikarpur police party led by Inspector Aamir Khan raided Nim Khabar Chowk in Shikarpur and arrested the accused. The police produced the accused before the court of the second additional sessions judge of Shikarpur and then sent him to the district prison in judicial custody after conducting legal proceedings.
Councillors protest non-provision of funds
By our correspondent
HANGU: The village councillors on Thursday staged a protest against non-provision of development funds to the district governments. They were carrying banners inscribed with slogans against the provincial government. The protesting village councillors from 42 union councils gathered outside the building of Hangu Press Club to stage the protest. Village councillors Khaliqur Rehman, Atif Ali, Habib Gul and others were leading the protesters.They said that the provincial government had made tall claims to devolve the powers to the grassroots level and give development funds to the district government. They said that more than five months have passed to the local bodies polls but neither they were given any powers nor provided any development funds.“We are powerless. Even the government officials don’t follow our instructions,” said Khaliqur Rehman.

Pemra’s complaint council meeting held
By our correspondent
LAHORE: A meeting of Complaint Council of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) was held here on Thursday.The meeting which was presided over by Dr Sugra Saddaf, reviewed quality of broadcasting and service and violations of Pemra rules by cable operators and channels and recommendations were presented in this regard. The meeting was also attended by Dr Mubashir Nadeem, Fauzia Waqar, Iftikhar Tarar and Dr Lubna Zaheer.

PPP activist dies
By our correspondent
KARACHI: A senior worker of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) who had been injured in an armed attack on Sunday died here on Thursday at the Liaquat National Hospital.Four armed men on two motorcycles had sprayed Rana Amir, 40, with bullets on Sunday just outside his house near the Achar Wali Gali in Hyderabad Colony in the Jamshed Quarters Police limits while he had been making Haleem.
He had been taken to the hospital in a critical condition.Police said the deceased was an employee of the Sui Gas Company and a senior worker of the PPP. He was father of two children. Meanwhile, an unidentified man in his twenties was gunned down in Orangi Town. The area people who saw the incident informed the police.
Police reached the spot of the incident and shifted the body to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for postmortem. According to the police, it looked like to be an incident of targeted killing.

Eight injured in Nawabshah clash
By our correspondent
NAWABSHAH: Eight people were injured in an armed clash between workers of two political parties. The clash occurred in the main Shahi Bazaar in Sakrand town where the workers of the rival parties had been hanging election banners of their respective candidates.
After a short altercation, the workers took out weapons and started firing at each other, which resulted in injury to eight workers. The firing also created panic in the bazaar, forcing shoppers to run for cover. The injured were admitted to the People’s Medical College Hospital. SSP Pervez Umrani said that he had ordered arrest of the people involved in the incident. He said that all the political parties were responsible for controlling their workers and maintaining peace during the upcoming local government elections.


SUKKUR: A man was shot dead by unidentified attackers near RTC Centre Khairpur on Thursday. Reports said that Sikandar Korai was on way to city when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire on him. As a result, he died. Police said that the killing was a result of an enmity between two groups of Korai.