Four of family killed on road

ABBOTTABAD, July 17: An army officer along with his wife and two children was killed when a jeep they were travelling in fell into a deep ravine here on Tuesday.

According to police, Major Amir Khalid, his wife Rehana Khalid and two sons Hassan Amir, 7, and Hussain Amir, 12, were going in a jeep from Abbottabad to Nathiagali when the vehicle skidded off the road at a sharp curve near Karalan Mor, 18 kilometers off here.

Major Amir and his son Hassan died instantly, while Rehana and son Hussain were shifted to a hospital in Abbottabad, but died before receiving any medical aid.

The bodies of the ill-fated family were shifted to Islamabad after fulfilling legal formalities. —Correspondent

Two tribal elders shot dead

KHAR, July 17: Two tribal elders were killed over a land dispute in Gallo Shah area of Salrazi tehsil on Tuesday.

According to locals, Sultan Yusuf Khan along with his relative Bashir Khan was going to their village from the nearby market when the armed men of Mohammad Khan allegedly opened fire on them when they reached near their home. They died on the spot.

The locals said the families of Sultan Yusuf Khan and Mohammad Khan had a dispute over the ownership of a piece of land for the last several years. Several people from both sides have fallen prey to the old enmity.

“Soon after the incident armed supporters and relatives of the deceased tribal elders rushed to the spot but the killers managed to escape,” Mian Khan, a local of the area, said, adding the area was tense after the killings. —Correspondent

Record of dam project seized

KARAK, July 17: The anti-corruption unit, Karak on Tuesday raided the office of public health engineering department and took into custody the record of the controversial Zebi dam project.

Sources said the anti-corruption circle officer Sattar Khan Khattak took the action on public complaints to ascertain facts about the alleged financial embezzlements and causes of failure of the project.

Sources in public health engineering department said the deputy director Mohammad Sadiq Khattak and assistant director Asif Khan had been recently transferred to Shangla and Lakki Marwat, respectively, as a result of a high level inquiry.

Meanwhile, the provincial auditor of anti-corruption department Ghulam Akbar Khan raided the office of TMA Takht-i-Nusrati and took into custody the record of bidding of the weekly cattle fares and general bus stand.

Meanwhile, a fleeing prisoner of Bannu jail, Kaleemullah, was arrested at Shah Qaisar Banda. —Correspondent

Contract employees terminated

GHALANAI, July 17: The Mohmand Agency political administration issued the termination order of about 160 contract employees, sources said on Tuesday.

The sources said the employees had been appointed on contract basis under the Annual Development Programme during the past several years.

An affected employee said some of the employees had been appointed as early as 16 years ago. “Now it is unjust that the political administration has terminated them,” he said.

Sources in the political administration confirmed that among the 160 employees, 23 were clerks, while others were drivers, peons, Qaris and Pesh Imams.

In 2010, Fata secretariat through a notification had issued the order to the political administration that the contract employees should not be appointed on the key positions in the administration offices.

The affected employees have demanded of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and additional chief secretary Fata to restore their jobs. —Correspondent

Residents seek justice

CHITRAL, July 17: The residents of Mori Payeen village of Koh union council have demanded of the chief justice of Peshawar High Court to take notice of the ‘injustice’ with them by a powerful clan.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, the residents said the powerful clan of the village stopped the supply of irrigation water to them last year, which turned their land barren and killed cattle heads.

They said the local court had refused to hear their case on the premise that it had no power to hear case of distribution of water.

They added the DCO sent their case to the executive engineer of irrigation department but the officer returned the case with the plea that since the canal was not constructed by the irrigation department he cannot hear the case. —Correspondent

Arms smuggling bid foiled

TAXILA, July 17: Wah Cantt police on Tuesday foiled a bid to smuggle arms and ammunition from Peshawar to Hazara and arrested one person.

Addressing a press conference here Sub-divisional Police officer DSP Raja Taifour Akhter said a police team, acting on a tip-off, stopped a car (LZW-9075) near Mohra chowk on Hazara road and during search recovered three pistols, two repeaters, 3,520 rounds of Kalashnikov and two  magazines from hidden parts of the vehicle.

Responding to a question, he said that during preliminary interrogation, the accused said he belonged to an inter-provincial gang of arms smugglers and was carrying the illegal consignment Peshawar to Manshera via Wah Cantt. —Correspondent