CTD arrests two terrorists; explosive material seized

TOBA TEK SINGH: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Monday arrested two alleged terrorists from Jhang Road and recovered explosive material from them.

On a tip-off, the CTD raided and arrested Abdullah Wattoo of Arifwala and Khalid Khan of Multan and recovered explosive material, detonators, safety fuse, two hand-grenades and two pistols from them.

The CTD sources told that both accused belonged to a banned organisation and were present near the residences of the Chinese engineers when they were arrested. Later, the bomb disposal staff defused the detonators and hand-grenades. Both alleged terrorists have been shifted to unknown place for further investigation. Sources claimed that the accused were planning a terrorist activity against the Chinese residents who were at work on the Motorway.

Governor rejects Faisalabad BISE chairman appeal: Punjab Governor Ch Muhammad Sarwar on Monday rejected an appeal of the Faisalabad Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education chairman against a decision of the Punjab ombudsman regarding reduction in paper marking rates.

The governor had directed in his order to the chairman not to decrease the rate of paper marking or other duties of teachers and released their payments against their services which they rendered during the annual matriculation examination of 2018.

Zafar Asif, a teacher of a Toba government school, had sent a complaint to the ombudsman against the chairman’s decision. He had taken the plea that when the teachers performed duty during annual matriculation examination 2018, the BISE was bound to pay them according to a notification of Nov 25, 2016.

However, the BISE issued a new notification on Jul 29 just two days before announcement of the result. In the notification, the rates of services of the teachers which they performed during the exams had decreased.

In his appeal, the BISE chairman had argued that sections 29 and 31 of the Punjab Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education ACT 1976 impose a bar of jurisdiction against its proceedings before a court.

It is pertinent to mention here that the BISE chairman had taken the plea before the ombudsman that the rates were decreased under a decision of the Punjab Boards Committee of chairmen but the ombudsman had rejected his plea. In his decision, the ombudsman had directed the BISE chairman to make payment of services of teachers which they had provided during the annual matriculation examination of 2018, under the rates fixed by the BISE notified in a circular No 10 of Nov 25,2016.