Briefs...

Road blocked against power suspension
By our correspondent
TOBA TEK SINGH: Scores of villagers on Tuesday blocked Faisalabad-Multan Road at Sindhillianwali against more than 36-hour power suspension. They also brunt tyres. They were chanting slogans against the government and the Fesco. On information, Fesco SDO Rao Abid Bashir reached the spot and held talks with the protesters. He told them the power supply went off due to some technical fault.

Two die in accident
By our correspondent
HAFIZABAD: Two people were killed while 12 others injured in a collision between a bus and a trailer on motorway near Shori Manika village on Tuesday. A bus was going to Lahore when its driver felt drowsy and the vehicle collided with a trailer. As a result, Nazir Jan and Zahid Hussain were killed on the spot while 12 others were injured.

PR workers demand 50pc raise
By our correspondent
BAHAWALPUR: Hundreds of railway workers led by PREM Union Multan president Wasiq Khan and vice-president Rana Muhammad Sharif staged a demonstration against the federal budget at the Bahawalpur Railway Station on Tuesday. The protesters holding placards and banners criticised meagre increase in salaries of the government employees and demanded at least 50 per cent raise. They also demanded for restarting the Wazirabad Express. The protesters condemned the massacre of Muslims in Burma.

Couple killed in Jaffarabad
QUETTA: Unknown armed men shot dead a couple over an old enmity in the Suhbatpur area of Jaffarabad district on Tuesday. According to police sources, unidentified armed assailants entered the house and opened fire on Muhammad Yaseen, s/o Balach Kanrani, and his wife Nasima Bibi and fled from the scene. As a result, they died on the spot. The bodies were handed over to the heirs after legal formalities. Police have registered a case and started investigation.

Rain in Bahawalpur
BAHAWALPUR: The overnight and early morning heavy rain on

Tuesday exposed tall claims of the TMA. The rain choked sewerage and inundated several roads. Due to the knee-deep water on Circular Road, traffic remained stuck for several hours. Till the filing of the report, there were long queues of vehicles on different roads.

Two injured in Mohmand grenade attack
GHALLANAI: Two persons sustained injuries when unidentified persons lobbed a hand-grenade into a house in Halimzai tehsil, official sources said on Tuesday. The source said that unidentified persons lobbed a hand-grenade into the house of one Nizam at midnight. As a result, Nizam’s son and mother sustained injuries. The injured were taken to the Agency Headquarters Hospital in Ghallanai. --Correspondent
Private school owners demand inquiry against BISE Swat
By our correspondent
MINGORA: Private Schools Management Association (PSMA) staged a protest rally at Nishat Chowk against the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Swat. The protesters including students and teachers of private schools chanted slogans against the BISE Swat administration. They alleged that the BISE management had discriminated against students of certain private schools in the Secondary School Certificate examination. Led by PSMA leaders, including Mian Syed Badshah, Khurshid Zafar and others, the protesters asked the Peshawar High Court to order an inquiry into the matter.

Judges forced retirement case referred to LHC CJ
By our correspondent
LAHORE: THE Lahore High Court Tuesday declined to hear a petition moved by 12 judicial officers of Punjab challenging their forced retirement ordered by the LHC Administration Committee. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah observed that it would be inappropriate for him to hear the case as he was a member of the Administration Committee. The judge referred the petition to Chief Justice for its fixing before any other bench. The petitioners, including additional district and sessions judges, senior civil judges and civil judges of Punjab district judiciary said section 12 of Punjab Civil Servants Act 1974 was in violation of the Constitution. The officers pleaded that they were condemned unheard, which was a clear violation of Article 10 of the Constitution. They requested the court to strike down the section 12 of the Act for being unconstitutional and order their reinstatement.

Seasonal low over north Balochistan
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The city may have partly cloudy weather with chances of dust-thunderstorm and rain on Wednesday (today). MET officials said seasonal low lies over North Balochistan and Monday’s trough of westerly wave lies over Kashmir and upper parts of the country and likely to persist for the next 36 hours. They said scattered thunderstorm and rain is expected over Multan, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal and DG Khan Divisions on Wednesday. On Tuesday maximum temperature recorded in the city was 40.4 C while minimum was 25 C. humidity level was 55 per cent in the morning and 24 per cent in evening.