Briefs

Pakistan hands over list of Indian prisoners

ISLAMABAD: The Government of Pakistan on Friday handed over a list of 518 Indian prisoners in the country to the High Commission of India in Islamabad.According to a Foreign Office statement, the list contained 55 civil and 463 fishermen imprisoned in Pakistan. This step is consistent with the provisions of the Consular Access Agreement between Pakistan and India signed on 21 May 2008 under which both countries are required to exchange lists of prisoners in each other’s custody twice a year on January 1 and July 1 respectively, the Foreign Office said.The Indian government would also hand over the list of Pakistani prisoners to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

10-hour loadshedding in Bahawalpur

By our correspondent

BAHAWALPUR: Residents of hundreds of villages of Tranda M Pannah, Uch Sharif, Bhala Jhulan, Bakhtiyari and Kachi Shikrani have been facing 8 to 10-hour continuous power loadshedding. It is learnt that Kot Khalifa and Alipur feeders are being deliberately shut to cover the line losses of Mepco Uch Sharif subdivision.  FLOOD CONTROL ROOM: A district flood control room has been established at the DCO Office. System network administrator Muhammad Azeem Zeeshan will supervise the control room. His contact number is 062-9250009.

Mosque’s foundation stone laid at Fesco HQ

By our correspondent

FAISALABAD: Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rashid Ahmed Aslam Friday laid down the foundation stone for the construction of a new mosque at Fesco headquarters. Some Rs 10 million would be spent on the construction of the mosque and it will be completed in a year. Some 200 people would pray in the mosque at a time and its construction approval was granted by the Fesco Board of Directors (BOD). General Manager (Operations) Masood Salahuddin, CE Amil Siddique, CE Sardar Masood and other Fesco officers were also present.

Eid packages distributed in Charsadda

By our correspondent

CHARSADDA: The Ummah Welfare Trust distributed Eidul Fitr packages among the poor and orphan children while widows were given flour bags here on Friday. The trust distributed clothes, shoes and gift among the poor children and orphans while the widows were given flour bags during a ceremony. A spokesman for the trust, Imran, said that the trust had started distributing relief items among the poor segment of society from the first of Ramazan. The trust has already distributed relief items and Eidul Fitr packages among poor people and orphans in Kashmir and Afghanistan, he added.

Three drown as van plunges into canal

By our correspondent

HAFIZABAD: Three people, including a child, drowned, while five others were injured when a van fell into a canal near the Qadirabad Barrage on Friday. A van was going to Mandi Bahauddin from Hafizabad when it fell into the canal due to overspeeding. As a result, 40-year-old Rehman Ali, five-year-old Habib and an unidentified man drowned while five others, including Qaisar and Sughran Bibi, were injured. They were shifted to the DHQ Hospital.

PML-Q leader quits party

By our correspondent

TOBA TEK SINGH: PML-Q district youth wing president Irfan Chaudhry on Friday quit the PML-Q and joined the Awam League of former Punjab education minister Riaz Fatyana. He made the announcement after a meeting with Fatyana in Kamalia.

Two killed in road accidents

By our correspondent

PAKPATTAN: Two people were killed in road accidents on Friday. Muhammad Imam Raza, 24, was riding a motorcycle and was hit by a donkey cart near Meeran Shah area and died on the spot. Haq Nawaz and his wife were riding a motorcycle when a speeding car hit them, leaving his wife dead on the spot.

Eight brick kiln owners held

By our correspondent

OKARA: Police on Friday arrested eight brick kiln owners on charges of violating the Child Labour Act. Police arrested Muhammad Afzal, Pir Muhammad Yaseen, Muhammad Saleem, Muhammad Ismail and others and registered cases against them.

Excessive outages in Nankana Sahib

NANKANA SAHIB: Citizens braved power loadshedding up to 19 hours in the city and its adjoining areas on Friday. Locals urged higher authorities concerned to look into the matter.

SC acquits one, rejects plea of another in rape cases

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed an acquittal plea, filed by a rape accused.The three-member Shariat Appellate bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, heard the case.The counsel for victim’s family informed the court the accused, Abdul Latif, raped a ten-year-old girl and the trial court awarded him 25 years sentence. He said the high court also rejected his appeal.

The SC rejected the appeal and disposed of the case.

The same bench, however, acquitted an accused convicted of rape of a seven-year-old girl over insufficient evidence.Justice Khosa remarked that false evidence was a “gunah-e-kabira (greater sin) in Islam. “Even then people record false evidence in the courts unfortunately. The benefit of false evidence goes to the accused persons. The real culprits are acquitted for want of true evidence. In this case, the evidence recorded against the accused about his involvement in rape has proved false,” he remarked.