HARIPUR: An aged couple was arrested from the courtroom after their bail before arrest (BBA) was cancelled in a murder case, police said on Wednesday.

DSP Khanpur Jamilur Rehman said Fazal Khan, 65, and his wife, Rafaqat Jan, were on BBA obtained from a local court in the murder case of their daughter-in-law, Tehmina Bibi, 28. They appeared before the court of Additional Sessions Judge-II Islamuddin to confirm their bail. The judge after hearing arguments from both the sides cancelled their BBA, leading to their arrest.

As per the FIR registered with the Khanpur police station under section 302/34 on Oct 19, 2022, Mehmood Elahi of Bhera Julian village, the father of the deceased, stated his daughter was married to Waseem Fazal, son of Fazal Khan of Mamriyal village, about three years ago.

Since the couple had no children, her husband and his family started taunting and subjecting her to domestic violence, he claimed, saying her mother-in-law threatened her to set her on fire, forcing the deceased to come to her parents’ house.

However, he said a jirga persuaded him to send his daughter back to her husband’s house. He said on the night of Oct 12, Tehmina’s husband called, informing him she was in the ICU of a Rawalpindi hospital after suffering burns caused by a stove fire.

The complainant said when he saw his daughter she was in critical condition and succumbed to injuries on Oct 19. He accused her father-in-law and his wife of setting her on fire.

FUNDS FOR COLLEGE: The provincial government has released funds for construction of a medical college on the premises of Pak-Austria Fachhochule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology in Mang area, sources told Dawn on Tuesday.

They said first-year classes of MBBS and dentistry were likely to commence from the next academic year.

Sources privy to the development said the provincial government had approved the college two years ago, and Rs14 billion okayed in the Annual Development Programme 2022-23 were released two days ago.

The sources said in line with the requirement of Pakistan Medical Commission, the provincial health secretary had issued a notification in October 2022, affiliating the 350-bed District Headquarters Hospital, Haripur, 40-bed Category-C Hospital, Khalabat Township, and 110-bed Children and Women Care Hospital, Haripur, with the Fachhochule Medical College.

The sources said construction of the building and laboratories would begin soon after hiring of the project management unit’s staff. They said hiring of faculty for the college was also likely to begin within next few months.

They said the building would be complete within 12 months.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2022