Briefs

Four terrorists killed in Lahore
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Four terrorists were killed while three policemen sustained injuries during an encounter with the CIA police in Badami Bagh police limits late Wednesday night. Sources said police conducted a raid on a house on the pointation of an arrested terrorist named Haroon Bhatti. He was arrested from Dubai. Police said the terrorists belonged to a banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. The other alleged terrorists were identified as Omair Nadeem, Omar and Nauman. Haroon was also killed due to firing of his own accomplices. As police party reached there, the terrorists opened firing. Police retaliated in which four accused terrorists were killed. The encounter was continuing till the filing of this report.

Waiter shot dead in Lahore over bill
By our correspondent
LAHORE: A waiter of a local restaurant was shot dead by a customer over the issue of bill in the Gulberg Police Station’s precincts on Wednesday.The shopkeeper and locals protested against the police and demanded immediate arrest of killer. The customer had visited a famous paratha roll shop. As the waiter provided the bill, he exchanged harsh words with the victim. As a result, the accused became furious and shot dead the victim before fleeing the scene.

Brother, accomplice arrested in journalist’s murder case
By our correspondent
KOHAT: The police on Wednesday claimed to have resolved the blind murder case of a journalist and arrested two accused, including his brother. Speaking at a press conference, District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Sohaib Ashraf said the murder case of Hafeezur Rehman was investigated from various angles. He added that the investigators succeeded in tracing the accused Asim Naeem, brother of the slain journalist and his accomplice. He said the police had arrested Asim Naeem and another accused Mukhtaram Khan. Raids for the arrest of the two other suspects were being carried out. The

official said the police traced the accused after obtaining and examining the cell-phone data of the accused. He said the police also recovered the bike used in the murder. The DPO said the accused Asim Naeem had confessed to his involvement in the murder and revealed the names of his accomplices. He said the accused had killed Hafeezur Rehman for allegedly not giving him his share in the family’s property and wealth.

Food meant for IDPs seized from Peshawar godowns
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: On the directive of Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar Riaz Khan Mahsud, the district administration raided some depots in Chamkani area and recovered huge quantity of food items meant for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) worth over Rs400 million. Led by Additional Deputy Commissioner Irshad Sudhar, the district administration team raided a number of godowns in Chamkani area where people had stored food items supplied by World Food Programme (WFP), USAID, Italy and other countries for the IDPs. They sealed 15 godowns and arrested three persons. A huge quantity of rice, sugar, pulses, cooking oil and other items were recovered from these godowns. Additional Deputy Commissioner Irshad Sudhar said the deputy commissioner had received information about these secret stores in which food items meant for the IDPs were secretly stored.

‘Criminal’ killed in Kasur encounter
By our correspondent
KASUR: An alleged criminal was killed in a police encounter near Khawaja Diam Hazoori Graveyard on Wednesday. According to police, police post Lari Adda in-charge Muhammad Ameen and other policemen were patrolling near Jamia Masjid Noor, when he signalled a suspected motorcycle driven by three people. The motorcyclists sped towards the Government Girls Degree College Road. The police party chased them. The motorcyclists entered graveyard and started firing at the police. The police also retaliated. As a result, Usman Javed alias Usmani was killed on the spot while his accomplices fled.

Couple arrested by NAB in fraud case
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday arrested Neelum Pari and her husband Iftikhar Hussain for looting millions of rupees from innocent people fraudulently. The NAB through a communiqué said that during the course of an inquiry it was revealed that the accused couple, who were residents of Mardan district, lured the general public into investing their hard earned money in their fake business. It said the accused persons after a few months not only stopped paying profit to the people but also refused to return the original invested money.

Man gets death for raping, killing niece
By our correspondent
CHAKWAL: District and Sessions Judge Pervaiz Ismail Joya Wednesday awarded death sentence and life imprisonment to an accused, who raped his niece and strangled her at Dharabi village in the area of Sadr police station. Ahmad Nawaz was awarded death sentence and a fine of Rs 200,000 for killing his niece and life imprisonment and Rs 100,000 fine for raping her.

Australian delegation calls on Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD: Australian Foreign Ministry delegation, led by Dr Michele Forster along with Australian High Commissioner (HC) Ms Margaret Adamson met Imran Khan Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) at his residence Bani Gala here. PTI Secretary Information Naeemul Haq, Adviser to chairman Dr Shahzad Waseem and PTI leader Aleem Khan were also present at the meeting. During the meeting, matters of bilateral interests, reforms in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and current political situation came under discussion. It’s agreed to enhance mutual cooperation in different sectors. The Australian delegation lauded the commitment and sincerity of Imran and PTI leadership for development initiatives in KP.

Militants will have to surrender, warns GOC Malakand
By our correspondent
DAGGAR: General Officer Commanding (GOC), Malakand Division, Maj-Gen Nadir Khan has said the militants, who made safe havens in Elumghar in Buner district, would have to surrender or face the consequences. Speaking a gathering of the local elders and councillors here on Tuesday, the military official said that the security forces played a vital role in rehabilitation and providing assistance to the quake victims. He remarked that the district councillors were striving to reduce miseries of the people and develop local social welfare organisation for the uplift of the area. “Those involved in terrorism in the region would be crushed or arrested,” he said and added that those who fled to Afghanistan and planned terror attacks in Pakistan would be given unprecedented punishment. The Army Divisional Unit in-charge Mazharull Hassan, Col Saifullah Cheema, Deputy Commissioner Khaista Rehman, District Police Officer Said Khalid Hamdani, District Nazim Dr Obaidullah, Naib Nazim Yousaf Ali Khan and others were present on the occasion.

Court orders return of Ayyan Ali’s passport
By Khalid Iqbal
RAWALPINDI: The Special Customs Court (SCC), Rawalpindi, Judge Rana Aftab Ahmed on Wednesday accepted supermodel Ayyan Ali’s request for return of her travel permit and ordered that her passport be given back to her. Ayyan Ali was directed to submit two surety bonds of Rs1 million each. The court asked the authorities to give back the model’s passport back to her. Ayyan’s passport was seized after the Interior Ministry had put her name on the Exit Control List (ECL). The Customs Department had argued before the court not to return her passport, fearing that she would escape from the country. A Customs officer expressed that different suspects were additionally included in the case. Shaista Khurram, the counsel for Ayyan, talking to media persons at the District Courts, Rawalpindi, said that returning of the passport was necessary for her client. She belonged to showbiz world and it was her employment, the counsel said.

Pakistani Pakhtun politicians to leave for Kabul today
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has invited certain Pakistani politicians to Afghanistan for discussion on the prevailing situation in the region and the state of Pak-Afghan relations. Qaumi Watan Party (QWP)’s information secretary Tariq Khan told The News that their party head Aftab Ahmad Sherpao and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Sikandar Hayat Sherpao would leave for Kabul today on a three-day visit on the invitation of President Ashraf Ghani. It was learnt that the Awami National Party (ANP) leader Asfandyar Wali Khan and the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) head Mahmood Khan Achakzai have also been invited by President Ashraf Ghani to visit Afghanistan. Some months ago, most of these Pakhtun politicians from Pakistan had undertaken a visit to Kabul and held meetings with President Ashraf Ghani.