Locals damage vehicles after truck kills cop

LAHORE: A police constable was run over and killed by a speeding truck on Lytton Road on Friday early morning. Victim Bilal was on his way back to his Johar Town house from Supreme Court Registry after performing duty when a rashly driven truck hit and killed him.

Meanwhile, locals got infuriated and gave a good thrashing to the accused driver who tried to escape from the scene. The protesters blocked the traffic from Janazgah at Mozang to Chowk Qartaba and smashed the windshields and mirrors of dozens of trucks and trailers besides denting their bodies with bricks and iron rods. Heavy contingents of police were called in to maintain law and order. The protesters also manhandled the policemen who rushed to the scene to maintain law and order.

tribute: The International Firefighters’ Day was observed in all districts of Punjab on Friday to pay tribute to the firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty. In order to promote fire safety, awareness walks, seminars and rallies were held by the district emergency services in collaboration with district administrations, social organisations and other stakeholders to mark the day.

Provincial Minister for Disaster Management Mahar Ijaz Achlana, former seasoned firefighter Ghulam Muhammad Naz and other notables attended a ceremony. Firefighters Umar Yaqoob from Okara and Imtiaz Ali from Lahore were declared the best fire rescuers in their respective cadres.

The minister said the President of Pakistan had approved National Fire Safety Codes last year and now the government was working for their enforcement. He said Rescue 1122 had created a sense of safety in society through professional firefighting in Punjab. The minister said the risk allowance awarded to rescuers without further delay.

Rescue 1122 spokesman Jam Sajjad Hussain also paid tribute to the fire rescuers by reciting his poem “Hum Kharay Hain” on the occasion.

Addressing the ceremony at PCSIR here, the Rescue 1122 DG said that firefighting was a respectable profession across the world and he saluted all those sagacious fire rescuers who lost their lives in the line of duty while saving the lives and properties of others.

Paying homage to the 13 sagacious firefighters martyred in a plaza in Rawalpindi, he said, “They are the real heroes of our society and true sons of soil who sacrificed their lives.” He said that in the developed countries the main focus of the fire and rescue services was fire prevention, therefore, the departments concerned would have to come forward for establishment of safer communities in Pakistan as it was not the job of fire rescuers alone.

He said Fire Service of Rescue 1122 had responded to over 108, 358 fire incidents in Punjab during the last 11 years and saved loss worth over Rs 300 billion. The Service shifted 3,869 critical victims of fires to hospitals, provided first aid to 2,332 victims, while 963 victims died.

The statistics show 44.96 percent fires occurred due to short circuit, 16.86 percent due to to carelessness, 16.67 percent due to unknown reasons, 11.71 percent others, 4.86 percent due to gas leakage, 1.37 percent kitchen fires, 0.99 percent due to candle fires, 0.96 percent forest fires, 0.91 due to LGP cylinder while 0.68 percent due to fireworks. He said that after providing the basic right to timey emergency care without discrimination, Rescue 1122 is now working with the communities for emergency prevention and disaster risk reduction.

In view of the increasing number of fire emergencies, there is a dire need to evolve an effective fire prevention strategy involving the establishment of modern emergency services in all provinces, implementing the National Fire Safety Codes, enactment of an effective fire prevention and community safety legislation, capacity building of professionals regarding fire safety codes, safety laws and effective enforcement of fire safety codes to establish safer communities in Pakistan.

PO arrested: Iqbal Town CIA arrested a proclaimed offender (PO) involved in two murders. The arrested man, Faryad Ali, had allegedly killed a head constable, Zulfiqar Ali, five years back and a citizen, Abdi Ali, in Sheikhupura district.