Six rape accused sent on three-day physical remand

MULTAN: Judge Riaz Ahmed Khan has granted three days physical remand of six accused allegedly involved in Bahauddin Zakariyia University (BZU) student rape case.

The accused would be produced before the court on Monday, said the court officials. Earlier, Violence Against Women police produced accused Ali Raza Qureshi, lecturer Ajmal Mahar, Osman, Nishat, Tanzil and one unidentified person. Police requested the duty judge for their 14 days physical remand but he granted three days remand.

Meanwhile, the BZU administration rusticated three students but no action has been taken against lecturer Ajmal Mahar. Talking to this scribe BZU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Tahir Amin said that he had constituted an inquiry committee in this regard. “Action against lecturer will be taken in light of the inquiry committees’ recommendations.”

The VC said that the university did not receive harassment application from Marjan Amin Khan a year ago. He said the university has been impartial in the case and the culprits would not be spared.

The civil society has criticised the Punjab government’s attitude as no senior government representative visit the victim girl. The civil society has demanded Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to visit Multan and take personal interest in conviction of the culprits. It feared that the BZU administration is making efforts to save the skin of Siraiki Department lecturer Ajmal Mahar who is allegedly involved in the rape incident.

MCCI criticises monetary policy of SBP: The Multan Chambers of Commerce & Industry has shown its concern over the monetary policy announced by the State Bank of Pakistan for the next two months.

In a statement issued here on Friday, MCCI president Malik Israr Ahmad Awan said that industry and business-friendly policy should be introduced instead of over-burdening the business community. The State Bank should adopt long-term policies instead of depending on the short-term policy, he suggested.

He said that the SBP should focus on regulating government spending and unabated borrowing instead of increasing bank interest, which would pressurise industrial sector and industrial production. He said that the SBP had once again reversed the downward trend in the interest rate despite the fact that the industrial sector was still in deep trouble. He said that Pakistan’s exports were jeopardising from the last three to four years. Drastic steps should be taken to fight against the increasing trade deficit, he suggested. He said that export-oriented industry was losing export markets in the USA and European Union due to increased cost of doing business. He said that foreign debt of Pakistan was around $60.9 billion in 2013, which had gone up to $85 billion by September 2017, showing an increase of over 41 per cent during the last four years. The constant rise in foreign debt was the major cause of poverty, he added.

Rally to express solidarity with Kashmiris: Activists of the Jammu Kashmir Movement Multan chapter on Friday took out a rally to express solidarity with the Kashmiris.

The rally was led by Maulana Nasir Javed, which started from Chungi No 7 and culminated at Chowk Kutchehry. The protesters chanted slogans against the Indian leadership and burnt the Indian flag.

The activists condemned the Indian atrocities in the Indian held Kashmir and demanded resolve the Kashmir issue according to the UN resolutions.