GUJRAT: Kharian Assistant Commissioner Sajid Muneer Kalyaar on Monday recovered 3,000 bags of government’s subsidised flour from the warehouse of a local trader in Lalamusa.

The warehouse was sealed and the owner was imposed a hefty fine of Rs500,000 on the spot whereas other legal proceedings have also been initiated against the culprit.

The AC raided the warehouse along with a team comprising officials of food, land revenue and police on a tip-off that trader Irtaza Bhatti had stored the bags of subsidised flour illegally after purchasing them from different mills of Lahore.

Reports said that the suspect would use to refill the subsidized flour into private bags to sell it in the market on commercial rates since the subsidised flour bag of 10 kg is being sold in the market at RS 648.

The official team confiscated the flour bags and sold flour at sale points in Lalamusa city on official raters.

Meanwhile, the AC also recommended to Gujrat DC Safdar Virk to officially write to the Lahore DC for a legal action against flour mills involved in selling flour to some Lalamusa trader.

WAJAHAT GETS BAIL: The court of an additional district and sessions judge on Monday accepted the plea for bail before arrest of former federal minister Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain in a case of attempted murder and firing at the house of a local PML-N leader.

Judge Younis Laar granted pre-arrest bail until March 20 as Mr Hussain appeared before the court along with his legal team.

Supporters of the Chaudhrys were also present in the compound of the sessions court as strict security measures were made in the vicinity.

Karianwala police had booked Wajahat and his son Musa Elahi in the case of attacking the house of Gujrat PML-N district vice president and union council former chairman Hajiwala Muhammad Ali Gujjar in February.

Earlier, Musa Elahi has been on interim bail in the Karianwala case whereas his bail in the case of Kotla civil hospital clash between the workers of PML-Q and PML-N had been confirmed from the Gujranwala Anti-Terrorism Court.

Similarly Wajahat Hussain had also first got protective bail from Lahore High Court until March 13 whereas his bail before arrest in Kotla case had been granted from Gujranwala ATC until March 20.

Gujrat police had also raided the Kunjah house residence of former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi and MNA Moonis Elahi to arrest Wajahat Hussain on Feb 1.

Soon after getting bail from a Gujrat court, Wajahat Hussain went to Karianwala police station to join the investigation in the case and record his statement.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2023