KARACHI: One hundred and twenty houses in Qasba Colony, built for the Islamabad fire victims, were inaugurated by the Ambassador for Saudi Arabia, Al-Sheikh Mohammad al Hamad al Shubaily, on Manghopir Road last evening.

The Saudi Ambassador handed over allotment documents and keys etc. of one-room quarters to six families, who were rendered homeless due to the fire last year. The rest of the allotments — all on hire-purchase basis — would be given later on.

The construction of the colony had started after funds were raised through philanthropists. The Saudi Arabian government donated a sum of about Rs68,000 for the purpose, and a street in the colony has been named after King Ibn Saud.

The Malayan High Commission in Karachi had donated Rs8,000 for relief to the victims of oil adulteration. The amount was spent on constructing eight shops in the colony, and returns from these will be spent on providing relief to those left disabled by adulterated oil.

5 MPs boycott official picnic

RAWALPINDI: A number of West Wing Members of the National Assembly last night boycotted the ‘moon-lit picnic’ arranged by WAPDA at Rawal Dam, following what was described as the “insulting attitude of the WAPDA authorities”. —Agencies