NOWSHERA: Noor Zaman, the elder brother of the victim of the suicide attack at the excise and taxation office, Mardan, on April 19, has complained that neither any government functionary nor any politician visited the residence of Nek Zaman Khan to console his minor siblings.

The deceased left behind a widow and two sons, Iman, 30, and Waheed, 1. He was a daily wager at Pakistan Air Force Academy, Risalpur.

Noor Zaman appealed to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation Mian Jamsheduddin and other officials concerned to extend support to the family of the deceased.

He said they visited hujra of the provincial minister to meet him regarding any official support, but the minister gave them just a minute after three hours wait, and instructed us to meet the deputy commissioner, Mardan. “Today (Monday), we visited the DC office, but could not meet him as we were told that he was not in office,” he lamented.

Zaman said the government did not announce any compensation to the deceased or injured persons.

Hidayatullah, a cousin of the victim, said Nek Zaman was in the excise and taxation office for registration of his new motorcycle. He appealed to the concerned authorities to extend financial support to the aggrieved family.

HOUSE BURGLED: Robbers took away valuables and cash from a house after locking women and children in a bathroom in the Armoured Colony here on Tuesday.

Mohammad Nabi, the house owner, said a man entered the house by scaling the wall and opened the main gate for his accomplices present outside. He said after entering the house the intruders told the women that they were police and had come to search the house as they had recovered bombs at a school in the area.

But, Nabi said the robbers locked the women in a bathroom and decamped with cash, gold ornaments and electronic items worth Rs700,000.

A labourer working in a near bungalow said two white cars were parked outside the house at around 1.30pm. He said the robbers might have come in the cars.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2016