Briefs...

Maulana Abdul Majeed Ludhyanvi passes away
MULTAN: International Majlis-e-Tahafuz Khatam-e-Nabuwat Ameer and senior member of Majlis-e-Amla Wifaqul Madaris Al-Arabia Pakistan Maulana Abdul Majeed Ludhyanvi died of cardiac arrest here on Sunday. He was 87. His funeral prayers will be offered at 10:00am on Monday (today) in his native town Abbasia, Kahroor Pakka. The Maulana was presiding over a meeting titled “Honesty” here when he felt pain in his chest and died of cardiac arrest.—APP

Gas pipeline blown up in Dera Bugti
QUETTA: A 24-inch diameter gas pipeline was blown up near Landola area of Dera Bugti district on Sunday by some miscreants. Levies force sources said that unidentified men had planted an improvised explosive device to the pipeline. The gas supply had been disrupted to adjoining areas, but no loss of life was reported.

Two children die after tractor-trolley rams into house
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Two children died when a tractor-trolley loaded with bricks rammed into the wall of a house in the Mallipura Shafiqabad area Sunday.The dead children were identified as Hassan, 1, and Sher Ali, 8, while the injured child was identified as Fahad. Police said a speeding tractor-trolley loaded with bricks hit the wall of a house, causing it to collapse on three children. On being informed, the rescuers rushed to the scene, pulled the trapped children out of the debris and took them to a local hospital where Hassan and Sher Ali died. The condition of Fahad was also said to be precarious. The driver fled the scene. P

Abid Majeed posted as KP secretary information
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The government of Khyber Paktunkhwa has posted Muhammad Abid Majeed as secretary Information, Public Relations and Culture Department.Muhmmad Abid Majeed (PCS SG BS-20) was awaiting posting in the Establishment Department. His posting has relieved Israr Khan, special secretary of the Chief Minster’s Secretariat, of the additional charge of the office of the secretary, Information, Public Relations and Culture Department. Abid Majeed has also served as principal secretary to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor, secretary administration and secretary infrastructure and coordination Fata Secretariat besides holding various important positions in the provincial bureaucracy.

Watchmen of Mansehra schools sacked over absence
By our correspondent
MANSEHRA: District Education Officer Gohar Ali Khan has sacked three employees because of prolonged absence from duty. Speaking to media, the official said that those sacked included Zafar Iqbal, Altaf Hussain and Mohammad Arshad, watchmen of the primary schools in Barkund, Jaba Malikpur and Jaba Tarangri in Baffa circle. He said that annual increments of many other watchmen had also been withheld because of absence from duty and notices were issued to them and they would be sacked if they didn’t report to authorities.

Muggers kill two youths on resistance in Islamabad
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Two young men were gunned down by three muggers near Sabzi Mandi Sunday night when they resisted during mugging, police said.Two youths identified as Rustam Ali, 32, and Muhammad Jaffar, 26, were intercepted by three gunmen when they were going to Fruit and Vegetable market but the muggers opened firing on resistance causing death of one victim while the other succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

Protest staged against PTI MPA
By our correspondent
KARAK: The Khattak Ittehad Sunday stage a rally against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Gul Sahib Khan for not honouring his promises. The protest rally led by district president of the body, Maulana Mirzaqeem and Ahmad Ali, marched from Town Hall Karak to Saddam Chowk. The activists blocked the Karak-Bannu road for traffic. The speakers recalled that the MPA Gul Sahib Khan had promised that gas pressure would be increased in 24 hours and the elders meeting would be arranged with the chief minister if they postponed their protest but he failed to honour his commitment.

Bullet-riddled body found in Hangu
By our correspondent
HANGU: A bullet-riddled body of a man was found in the hilly area of Jozara on Sunday, sources said. The sources said that acting on information, the police reached the mountain of Jozara and took into custody the corpse.The body was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Hangu. The deceased was identified as Zahoor Hussain. The police registered the case and started investigation.

Woman killed by stray bullet in Mardan
By our correspondent
MARDAN: An elderly woman died after being hit by a stray bullet in Saddar area of the district, the police said. Akbar Khan, resident of Muslimabad, told police that he along with other family members were sitting in his house when a stray bullet hit his mother Sherina Bibi, who later died at the Mardan Medical Complex.

Man reaches home after performing Haj on foot
By our correspondent
SIALKOT: Kharalzada Kasrat Rai has returned to his native village Dallowali near Cantonment after performing Haj on foot by travelling 6,387 kilometres. Talking to a gathering near Rangers Headquarters here on Saturday, Kasrat Rai vowed that he would soon start a 100,000km journey from Pakistan. “During the journey, I will visit the countries of South Asia and Far East, including Japan, to improve the image of the country and nation at the international level,” he said. Kasrat Rai, who is in his 50s, said that extremism and terrorism had caused a severe damage to the country and he wanted to play his role to improve its image abroad through his 100,000km walk. He condemned the bombing of an Imambargah in Shikarpur, saying that terrorism could only be defeated by unity. He said that he had faced no problem during his journey.

PML-N MNA flays Chaudhry Sarwar
By our correspondent
TOBA TEK SINGH: PML-N MNA Ch Asadur Rehman on Sunday criticised former Punjab governor Ch Muhammad Sarwar for giving political statements and said that he was bound not to participate in politics for two years after resigning from the office of governor.Talking to reporters at the press club, the MNA said that Ch Sarwar unconstitutionally addressed the press conference and issued political statements after his resignation. He alleged that Ch Sarwar being governor tried to exercise powers of the Punjab chief executive, which was also unconstitutional as his powers as governor were limited under the law and rules. Only chief minister could exercise the powers of the chief executive, he added.

Tourists throng Swat after snowfall
By our correspondent
MINGORA: Tourists have started thronging the scenic Swat valley as the upper parts of the district received the second spell of rain and snowfall on Sunday. Officials said around five feet snowfall has been recorded in Malam Jabba and Kalam. The tourists from all parts of the country have thronged the mountainous areas, including Malam Jabba, Kalam, Madyan, Osho, Miandam, Mataltan and Marghazar in the district after the heavy snowfall. The heavy rain and snowfall started in most parts of Malakand division early Sunday, blanketing the mountain peaks. After the snowfall hundreds of tourists from other parts of the country started reaching the scenic spots in the valley.

Eight dealers booked for selling illegal weapons
By our correspondent
SIALKOT: Police have booked eight dealers for selling illegal weapons and recovered 252 arms, including pistols and rifles, from them in the district. Police recovered 39 pistols and guns from Zain at Karimpura Road, 240 bullets from Rana at Kutchery Road, 12 rifles and guns and 1,472 bullets from Naseem at Nisbat Road, 56 guns, rifles and pistols from Tariq, 57 pistols and guns and 2,638 bullets from Abdul Rasheed, 71 pistols, guns and rifles from Nasir at Sarwar Road, five guns from Nadeem and 12 rifles and pistols from Iftikhar at More Sambrial.

Okara police send two terrorism cases to interior ministry
By our correspondent
OKARA: Police have sent two terrorism cases to the interior ministry for their trial in military courts, said DPO Faisal Rana. Talking to newsmen here on Sunday, he said that the cases were forwarded to the ministry on its direction received earlier. In the first case registered with A-Division police in 1995, terrorist Ishaq had exploded a bomb in a cinema. Two people were killed and 12 others were injured in the bomb blast. The terrorist was later arrested from the Lahore Airport. The second case was registered with Hujra Shah Moqeem police in which three terrorists were arrested.

Police inspector’s son among three booked
By our correspondent
GUJRANWALA: On the direction of Punjab IGP Mushtaq Sukhera, Aroop police on Sunday booked three people, including son of a police inspector, for jubilant firing in a wedding function. The police registered a case against Asher Ali Cheema s/o Inspector Tahir Farooq Cheema, Usman Mahfooz s/o Mahfooz Cheema and Zahid Butt. The police have already arrested police Tahir Cheema in the same case.

Kidnapped boy recovered, two held
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The police during a raid on Sunday recovered a four-year-old child who had been kidnapped for ransom in the limits of Paharipura Police Station. Assistant superintendent of police (ASP), Faqirabad, Furqan Bilal, told reporters that a raid was conducted at a hideout in Yousafabad after a tip-off that a kidnapped child was being kept there. The official said the boy was safely recovered and two kidnappers were arrested. Furqan Bilal added that the kidnappers had demanded Rs20 million ransom for releasing the child.

16 power thiefs booked in Bannu
By our correspondent
BANNU: The officials of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) booked 16 power thieves here on Sunday, official sources said. The sources said that the Pesco teams along with the police raided Shah Dew, Domail tehsil and Surani village and booked 16 consumers for using electricity through loops. The sources said the outstanding arrears of Rs3.8 million were also recovered from the consumers. “The power supply from 11 electric transformers was also disconnected”, an official added.

Illegal weapons recovered in Chakwal
By our correspondent
CHAKWAL: City police on Saturday recovered illicit arms from three accused who were involved in a dacoity case. ASI Zameer Hussain during investigation recovered a 30-bore pistol and bullets from Saeed Ahmed, a gun and bullets from Ishaq Bashir of Khanewal and a 30-bore pistol and bullets from Akhtar. Separate cases of having illicit arms were registered against them. Meanwhile, two prayer leaders were booked by Neela and Dhumman police under the Amplifier Act. They are Javed of Cot Chaudarian village and Tufail Saleem of Budhial village.
Killer gets life term
By our correspondent
BAHAWALPUR: Chishtian Additional District and Sessions Judge Abdul Razzaq on Saturday awarded life imprisonment and Rs 100,000 fine to Javed alias Jaidi in a murder case. The judge also awarded 10-year rigorous imprisonment to two other accused Fayyaz and Maqbool alias Boli. The prosecution said that the convicts had gunned down Muhammad Mushtaq on resistance during a dacoity on August 23, 2012.

Two killed in Karak incidents
By our correspondent
KARAK: Two persons, including a young boy, were killed in separate incidents here on Sunday, sources said.The sources said that Khial Akbar was shot dead by his rivals in the limits of Teri Police Station over an old enmity. The police registered the case on the complaint of the deceased’s relatives against Shaista Mir, Khosh Ameer and Shah Gul Meanwhile, a young boy, whose identity could not be ascertained, was crushed to death by a tractor while he was crossing a road.