Briefs

Peace body gets new chief

Our correspondent

LANDIKOTAL: The Zakhakhel Shura on Monday appointed their new chief who would look after the affairs of Zakhakhel peace committee locally known as Tauheedul Islam (TI), official and local sources said.

The decision was taken after a clash between the peace committee members a day earlier in which three persons were killed.The sources said that the Zakhakhel Shura members discussed the untoward incident that happened between the two groups of peace committee.

According to sources, the shura members appointed Haji Barat Khan Afridi as new chief of Tauheedul Islam to replace Haji Mehmood Afridi. Three Zakhakhel peace committee fighters were killed and more than eight injured in a clash that took place in Kramna area of Bazaar Zakhakhel in Landikotal tehsil in Khyber Agency.

Crackdown on profiteers launched

Our correspondent

MANSEHRA: The district food department has launched a crackdown against profiteers in the district.“We have fined many shopkeepers for violating the official price list. We will not allow them to exploit people in Ramazan,” Iqbal Shah, the district food controller, told reporters on Monday.He said that over a dozen traders were fined for charging extra prices during a visit to butchers’ shops and general stores at Zaffar Road.“We have also paid surprise visit to mega stores around the city and lodged first information report (FIR) against them on receiving extra prices and selling substandard quality items,” he added.He said that during visit to fruit and vegetable market prices were found stable as compared to first day of Ramazan.

Woman from Lower Dir seeks recovery of land

Bureau report

PESHAWAR: A resident of Munda tehsil Lower Dir, Zuhra Begum, has appealed to the chief of army staff, prime minister and chief justice of Pakistan to provide her justice by taking action against some people who had reportedly occupied her 16-acre land. Addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday, she said that Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) had occupied her 16-acre land, which the army had given to her father, then a subedar in the army. She said JI chief Sirajul Haq and his influential people had sold her property without taking her into confidence with the consultation of a patwari named Amjad, tehsildar Munda Ghulam Saeedullah, AC and DC, and MPA Izazul Mulk at Rs47 million.

Non-release of salaries protested

Our correspondent

NOWSHERA: The nursing staff of the district headquarters hospital on Monday staged a protest against the non-release of salaries withheld for the past three months.The male and female nurses staged the protest on the premises of the hospital to demand release of their salaries.Asad Yar, Rukhsana Bibi and others were leading the protest. The speakers lamented that their families were facing immense hardships due to non-payment of the salaries. They said they could not manage their domestic budget.They threatened to launch a protest campaign if their salaries were not released at the earliest.

UWTP starts Ramazan package distribution

Our correspondent

NOWSHERA: The Ummah Welfare Trust Pakistan (UWTP) has started distributing Ramazan packages among orphans, widows, and disabled people in Pakistan and Afghanistan. A total of 74,230 food packages worth Rs360 million were being distributed among the poor and orphans from across Pakistan and Afghanistan, said Country Director UWTP Sahibzada Syed Imran while talking to media persons at UWTP head office here on Monday. About 850 students of Ummah Children Academy and Ummah College of Technology were given food packages and Eid gifts.He said the trust had been distributing food items and Eid gifts for the last 10 years.

Four killed, another injured in firing on car

Bureau report

PESHAWAR: Four persons were killed and another sustained injuries when armed men opened fire on a car near Koh-e-Daman School in Matani Monday night.Police said those killed in the firing included Irshad Ali, Waheed Khan, Imtiaz and Mohammad Ali. One person Mohsin was also wounded in the attack and was shifted to Lady Reading Hospital. It was learnt that Irshad was a town council member from the local union council. It was also said that one of those killed was a member of the Amn Lashkar. The DSP of the area Rahmat Ullah said the motive seems to be personal enmity.

Zakat funds distributed among students

Our correspondent

LANDIKOTAL: The officials of the Ushr and Zakat ministry distributed Zakat among hundreds of orphans and deserving students of the state-run schools here on Monday.

A large number of school teachers and local residents attended the distribution ceremony at the Government Primary School Shahzamir Killay in Landikotal.Zakat Chairman Muhammad Ali Afridi distributed Rs900 among each student.

Muhammad Ali Afridi said that they have distributed seven million rupees in Landikotal this year. He said most of the selected boys and girls were orphans. He said Rs6000 were also given to several hundred poor men and women in Landikotal. He said they were preparing a proposal to increase the Zakat amount next year.