Enmity claims two lives

SWABI, June 7: Two persons were killed over an old enmity as rival parties exchanged fire here on Thursday, said the police.

It was learnt that two families of Salim village had an old enmity. Zulfiqar and his father Ajab Khan ambushed the car carrying their opponents Adnan Khan, his brother Nural Amin and their associate Asif Khan, at Salim Khan-Maneri road graveyard.

The exchange of fire afterwards continued for half an hour in which Nural Amin was killed on the spot while Zulfiqar sustained serious injuries. He was taken to the district headquarters hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead.

Both the parties registered cross FIRs against each other. Ajab Khan, father of the deceased, Zulfiqar, named Adnan and his brother Nural Amin in the FIR. Similarly, Adnan Khan accused Ajab Khan and his son Zulfiqar of attacking them. —Correspondent

Labourers hold protest

PESHAWAR, June 7: The National Labour Federation, (NLF) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, on Thursday held a protest demonstration against the government for presenting a budget that contained nothing for the welfare of the poor.

Holding banners and placards inscribed with anti-government slogans the NFL employees demanded solution to the long awaited demands of the workers of different industries. They also chanted anti-government slogans.

The NLF provincial president Syed Habibullah Shah, while speaking on the occasion, said the labour community had been totally ignored by the government which claimed to be champion of democracy. He said the nominal increase in wages was a joke with the workers.

“The budget is prepared by the capitalists and as usual poor class has been buried under the slabs of inflation. We ask the PPP-led federal government to revise the budget and focus on the welfare of labour community,” demanded Mr Habibullah. —Bureau Report

Elite Force duties

PESHAWAR, June 7: The Elite Force will not be assigned the routine duties and it will perform only the job it had been formed for.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting held at the central police office with Elite Force commandant Tariq Javed in the chair on Thursday. The meeting reviewed matters pertaining to duties of the force and other professional matters.

The participants informed the commandant about the problems and difficulties being faced by the Elite Force jawans in discharging their duties and also presented various proposals to redress these.

Mr Tariq Javed directed the jawans to maintain discipline in the force at all levels, making it clear that Elite Force was a striking force and its jawans couldn’t be assigned the routine duty.

Various decisions were take about the welfare of the members of the Elite Force. —Bureau Report

Govt to launch power projects

PESHAWAR, June 7: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Agriculture Arbab Mohammad Ayub Jan has said the province would be able to generate 4200 megawatts of electricity after completion of various power projects. He said Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti had inaugurated three power projects while two other projects would be launched at the end of July in Chitral.

This he said while addressing cheques distribution ceremony among the 2010 flood affected farmers at Shakir Pura, Daud Zai area, Peshawar, according to a handout issued here on Thursday.

The minister said education was the only way to eliminate poverty and unemployment from the province, adding the government was taking keen interest to spread not only the basic but also higher education in every nook and corner of the province.

He said the present government had doubled the number of universities, including medical and engineering colleges, only in four years tenure. —Bureau Report

Service structure sought

PESHAWAR, June 7: The contract employees of the Auditor General of Pakistan have expressed grave concern over what they said apathy of the federal government to regularise their services.

In a joint statement here on Thursday the employees said they had been working since 2000, but still their contracts were not confirmed.

They pointed out that the government had promised to absorb them in other departments, but to no effect.

They said a cabinet committee had directed for regularisation of contract employees having one year of contractual service or three spells of 89 days services, but the employees of Auditor General of Pakistan had been ignored.

“We are also Pakistanis and have families and have the right to be regularised as we have served the department with zeal and devotion.” —Bureau Report