TOBA TEK SINGH: A young man allegedly died by suicide at his ex-wife’s house in the Ghousia Park locality of Dijkot, Faisalabad, on Sunday.

According to his former wife, Aqsa Bibi, deceased Abdul Shakoor of Toba Tek Singh had divorced her some five years ago, just four months after marriage. He arrived at her house and shot himself dead. Dijkot police shifted the body to Dijkot Rural Health Centre for autopsy and were probing whether he was murdered or had actually committed suicide.

Meanwhile, a man killed his elder brother’s wife over a domestic dispute in Mureedwala, Faisalabad, on Sunday. Suspect Muhammad Adnan was arrested by Mureedwala police.

KIDNAPPED: A newborn baby kidnapped from Sheikhupura on Thursday was recovered by police from Nankana Sahib on Sunday. Reports said a woman entered the house of electrician Muhammad Nadeem in Nai Abadi, Kot Ranjeet, in Sheikhupura Sadar police area and, taking advantage of the fact that the child’s mother was busy in the kitchen, picked up the nine-day-old baby and fled.

Police traced the kidnapper’s whereabouts through geo-fencing and raided a house in a locality of Nankana Sahib. The police recovered the child and arrested the suspected couple from whom an investigation was underway.

ROBBERY: Robbers looted Rs2.3 million, mobile phones and other valuables from nine animal traders on Shorkot-Cantonment Road on Saturday night.

Complainant Ghulam Abbas of Chak Khumananwala informed Waryam Wala police in his FIR registered under Section 392 of the PPC that he and eight fellow animal traders were returning from the Jhang cattle market after selling animals. When they arrived at the locality of Rustam Sargana, three gunmen on a motorcycle intercepted them at gunpoint. As they stopped their mini truck, the robbers snatched cash and valuables before fleeing.

FDA: Faisalabad Development Authority (FDA) Additional Director General (ADG) Qaiser Abbas Rind reviewed the progress of the digitisation of FDA’s records in a meeting on Sunday. He was briefed about the latest developments in digitisation and the provision of services under the online system and details about the online payment system at the one-window counter.

The meeting discussed the scope and progress of the property management system, estate management, online recovery, legal section, town planning, transfer section, integration of Nadra biometric data and the monitoring and reporting dashboard under agreements with a private company and Punjab Urban Land System Enhancement (Puls).

According to officials, of 48,000 property files, digitisation of 41,588 has been completed, including 2,931 commercial properties, while 314 properties have been transferred under the system. The ADG praised the agreement with Puls, affiliated with the Punjab Board of Revenue, and termed it crucial for protecting property records, implementing government policies effectively, and ensuring transparency.

He stressed the early completion of remaining tasks and vowed to take comprehensive steps to resolve obstacles in the digitisation process. He directed that the daily recovery of challans issued for revenue collection be updated online and that records of non-payment be compiled. He stated that by successfully implementing modern reforms, the digitisation process would soon be completed to strengthen public confidence in FDA services.

POSITION: A girl student of Jamia Al-Taqwa and Islamic School System of Chak 358 GB Mughali, Toba Tek Singh district, secured the first position across Punjab in the annual Dars-i-Nizami (FA) examination.

Jamia’s administrator Maulana Mufti Muteeulah said that Laiba Safdar obtained 1,152 out of a total of 1,200 marks. She attributed her success to the hard work of her teachers and the prayers of her parents.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2025