NEWS IN BRIEF

Published July 19, 2012

JUI man found dead

KOHAT, July 18: The body of a kidnapped leader of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Darra Adam Khel, was found in Sra Khawra area here on Wednesday.

Officials said that the JUI-F leader of Akhorwal village, Ahmed Noor Afridi, was kidnapped by unknown men one week ago. The kidnappers had not made any ransom demand. No one has claimed the responsibility for the murder so far.

Sources said that it was a case of target killing but the political administration was investigating it from all angles to nab the culprits. —Correspondent

Protesters block road

KARAK, July 18: Protesters blocked the Karak-Bannu Road outside the Women and Children Hospital here on Wednesday against the attitude of the hospital staff.

The enraged protesters led by Meena Jan and Iftikhar Ahmad said that they had brought a three-year-old girl to the hospital in serious condition but there was no doctor and staff available.

They alleged that the doctors worked in their private clinics till 10am and the patients who came to the hospital from far-off areas had to wait for hours.

Later, MS of Women and Children Hospital Dr Lal Sharaf visited the protesters and ordered suspension of a female nurse and a ward boy and assured the protesters that an inquiry would be conducted into the matter.

The protesters later dispersed after the girl was admitted to the hospital. —Correspondent

Power appliances damaged

PESHAWAR, July 18: Abrupt surge in power voltage damaged electrical appliances in posh Hayatabad Township on Tuesday night, residents complained.

Consumers told Dawn that the excessive power voltage caused widespread damages to wiring and electric appliances in phase-6 of Hayatabad late night. Many consumers said that their refrigerators and air conditioners had been damaged.

The locality also plunged into darkness after main transformers also went out of order due to high voltage. Consumers in Peshawar and its surrounding areas have been experiencing low voltage and people have to install power stabilisers to protect their appliances.

“Even stabilisers could not absorb the load and also went out of order,” complained Mohammad Ikram, an affected resident.

Mohammad Ghani, a Pesco lineman, blamed staff of the main grid station for the incident. However, an official at the grid station said that fault might have occurred in local transformers which damaged the appliances. —Bureau Report

Sports festival ends

UPPER DIR, July 18: A large number of teams and players participated in the concluding ceremony of the seven-day Aman Sports Festival at Dir Stadium here on Wednesday.

The festival was held in the border region where militants had launched deadly cross-border attacks during the past two years. The festival was organised by the district government in collaboration with Malakand Development Programme (MDP) Upper Dir to provide people of the violence-hit region with some entertainment.

Talking on the occasion, DCO Mohammad Ali Shah said the purpose of the festival was to provide an entertainment opportunity to the people to remove fear from their minds.

Later, the DCO, DPO Ihsanullah and Major Awais distributed trophies and sports kits among cricket, volleyball, basketball and football players. —Correspondent

Inspection teams for Ramazan

KOHAT, July 18: To keep a check on the prices and quality of edibles during month of Ramazan several inspection teams have been constituted by the administration.

The district coordination officer, Kohat, Zakir Hussain, chaired a meeting of price review committee at his office here on Wednesday. It was attended by the head of the teams, assistant coordination officer, Mohammad Jamil, food inspector and representatives of the business community.

The DCO directed the ACO to visit the shops during Ramazan on daily basis to check the prices and quality of the food items including the grocery shops. He asked him to send samples of food collected from various shops to the health department. He requested the business community to keep the prices stable during the holy month and provide quality food to the people. —Correspondent

Mohmand farmers demand food

GHALANAI, July 18: The farmers of Mohmand tribal region have accused the agriculture department officials of not providing food items to them under the Food for Work Programme (FWP) launched by the government.

The tribal people and social workers from various localities held a protest demonstration in Yousaf Khel area of Haleemzai tehsil here on Wednesday. The protesters were chanting slogans against the agency agriculture department officials for what they said providing food only to their blue-eyed.

They also blocked the main Peshawar Bajaur road for some time. Addressing the protesters, local residents of the area Mohammad Ilyas, Khista Rehman, Rafiq, Arshad Khan and Sattar Khan said that farmers had been visiting the food department offices daily but had to return empty-handed.

They demanded stern action against the officials involved in embezzlement. —Correspondent

Polio refusal case

CHITRAL, July 18: A polio refusal case popped up here on Wednesday when a woman refused to administer polio drop to her two-year-old girl, saying that her husband did not allow vaccination.

Sources in the health department told Dawn that a member of the mobile team when approached the woman at a transit point in Denin, she and her brother vehemently opposed it contending that it was un-Islamic and part of a machination of Jews against the Muslims.

The vaccinator reported the matter to tehsil monitoring officer Dr Mohammad Yaqub who also failed to convince her. The district coordination officer was apprised of the situation who sent an executive magistrate to the spot to settle the issue. The magistrate reached the spot and succeeded in persuading the mother to administer polio drops to her child. —Correspondent

Man awarded 25-year jail

MARDAN, July 18: The district and sessions judge here on Wednesday awarded 25-year rigorous imprisonment and Rs50,000 fine to a man for sexually assaulting his own daughter.

The accused, Mohammad Sadiq, hailing from Ouch area of Lower Dir and presently residing in Khuray Iraab Par Hoti area was arrested in November 2011 when his teenage daughter registered a case against her father.

The girl had told police that her mother had died a year ago after which she along with her four younger sisters and a brother was living with her father. Later, she said, her father assaulted her twice despite being asked not to do so. The accused was arrested and presented before the district and sessions judge, Mardan.

The judge, Mardan Mohammad Shahid Khan, pronounced the judgment after the charges were proven against Mohammad Sadiq. —Correspondent

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