Two killed on road

TIMERGARA, Jan 13: A man and a woman were killed in separate road accidents here on Sunday, police and residents said. Police said a local trader, Bacha Mohammad, was killed and another injured when a car they were travelling in hit a roadside tree near Toormang in the jurisdiction of Khall police station. They said that the two men were critically injured in the accident and were shifted to hospital where Bacha Mohammad died.

In another incident, an elderly woman identified as Ghata Bibi was killed when a car knocked her down near Musri Shah on Timergara-Khall road.

Eyewitnesses said that the old woman was crossing the road when the car hit her. She died instantly. The Timergara police registered a case and arrested the driver.—Correspondent

Burn unit in AMC

ABBOTTABAD, Jan 13: New chief executive of Ayub Medical Complex Hospital Dr Nisar Khan has said the burn unit in the hospital will be restarted soon.

This he said while presiding over a meeting of the heads of various departments of AMC on Saturday. The meeting was attended by more than 50 professors, associate professors, assistant professors and administrative staff of the hospital.

Dr Nisar urged the senior doctors to ensure their presence in OPD and said no compromise would be made on delivery of quality health services to patients.

The hospital caters to patients from all the six districts of Hazara, GB and Mazaffarabad. The AMC chief executive said all vacant positions would be filled soon and assured complete transparency in appointments and promotion of health staff.

He said soon a welfare fund would be established at the hospital for free treatment of the poor and deserving patients.—Correspondent

Slain SHO laid to rest

KOHAT, Jan 13: A police officer, Zulfiqar Bangash, who was killed in an attack in Swabi, was laid to rest here on Sunday.

Zulfiqar Bangash, station house officer of Chota Lahor police station, died in a hospital in Peshawar on Sunday after being injured in the attack by unidentified militants. The body was brought to Ustarzai area of Kohat where he was laid to rest with official honor.—Correspondent

Payment of increments sought

KARAK, Jan 13: All Senior English Teachers Association, Karak chapter, has demanded restoration and release of annual increments to the teachers on higher educational qualifications. The demand was made in a meeting of ASETA held here on Sunday with its district president Abdus Samad in the chair. A large number of teachers attended the meeting.

The meeting expressed resentment over the stoppage of annual increments on higher educational qualification since December 2001, terming it injustice with the teachers.

The participants said that the increment on higher educational qualification was an incentive to the teachers to impart quality education to the students. They demanded its immediate restoration. They also demanded teaching allowance to the teachers of all cadres as announced by the government.—Correspondent

Headmasters seek promotion

LAKKI MARWAT, Jan 13: The headmasters association of Lakki Marwat on Sunday demanded of the government to grant one-step promotion to the headmasters. The demand was made at a meeting held here to discuss problems facing the teachers’ community.

The meeting said headmasters of state-run high schools had been ignored in the upgradation and promotion policy of the government.

The association’s leaders demanded of the government to accept their longstanding demand to award one-step promotion to the headmasters of high schools.

The meeting decided to accelerate efforts and strengthen liaison with quarters concerned to resolve the problems faced by heads of high schools.—Correspondent

Appointment opposed

KHAR, Jan 13: All Bajaur senior teachers association on Sunday condemned the appointment of a junior official to the post of agency education officer.

Office-bearers of the association and senior teachers of the agency decided at a meeting to launch a movement to force the administration to reverse the decision.

Association’s president Mohammad Nisar Khan, Sultant Khan, Gul Akbar Khan, Zarwali and other senior office-bearers spoke at the meeting.

Teacher’s leaders expressed concern over the recent appointment of a junior teacher against the post of agency education officer in the education department in Bajaur agency.

“The appointment of a grace 17 official on the post of agency education officer was violation of the merit because the said post was for grade 19,” they said.

They demanded of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor, chief secretary, and additional chief secretary Fata to take notice of the issue and immediately cancel the order of appointment.—Correspondent

Blocked roads yet to reopen

ABBOTTABAD, Jan 13: Most roads in Galyat are closed to traffic due to heavy snowfall over the last 15 days.

Residents said on Sunday that the snow had blocked the roads and disrupted communication links, creating problems not only for the locals but for the tourists visiting Galyat to enjoy the snowfall.

The road from Abbottabad to Nathiagali and Murree is blocked at several points and the vehicles are not allowed to use the slippery road.—Correspondent