TOBA TEK SINGH: A robber was killed in an encounter with Thikriwala police in Faisalabad on Tuesday night.

Police claimed that a police party was chasing three outlaws but they entered a sugarcane field near Chak 71-JB and started firing which was retaliated. When the firing stopped, the police found one of the outlaws dead while his two accomplices managed to flee.

Police claimed that the outlaw identified as Aqib of Chak 273-JB was killed in firing by his accomplices. He was wanted by police in more than a dozen robbery cases.

DEAD CHICKEN: A Punjab Food Authority (PFA) team, headed by Assistant Safety Officer Waseem Iftikhar, raided a shop on Gojra Road at Adda Dawakhri on Tuesday and recovered more than 40kg meat of dead chicken.

According to a press release, the shop owner was handed over to Gojra Saddar police.

ACCIDENT: Two persons were killed and another was injured when their car overturned after a tyre burst near Chak 281-GB on Satiana Road late on Monday, according to Rescue 1122.

The deceased were identified as Zakir Mahboob, 20, and Anwar Bibi, 50, while the injured, Irfan Hussain, 28, was rushed to Jaranwala THQ Hospital. All victims were residents of Jaranwala Chak 375-GB and were travelling to Faisalabad when the accident occurred.

RIVALRY KILLING: A man was killed, and another injured in a shooting incident in the Latif Garden area of Faisalabad on Monday night.

Reports said that Syed Wazir Ahmad and Sikandar Ali were attacked by their rival Gulfam Bajwa and his accomplices. Ahmad, a resident of Waziristan employed as a gunman for Sikandar Ali, an estate developer, died on the spot. Ali sustained injuries and was shifted to DHQ Hospital.

Police sent Ahmad’s body for autopsy at Allied Hospital. The feud reportedly stemmed from an old enmity between the two estate developers.

FDA: The Faisalabad Development Authority (FDA) foiled attempts to establish unauthorised housing schemes in a grand operation conducted on Tuesday.

Led by Town Planning Director Asma Mohsin and Estate Officer Mian Qamar Shehzad, the FDA team raided areas near Shahbaz Nagar on Masjid Ismail Road.

Seven unlawful settlements were sealed, and equipment from their offices was confiscated.

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY: In observance of International Human Rights Day, the Minority Rights Movement (MRM) convened a national conference in Faisalabad under the theme “Is the plight of religious minorities in the country according to the Charter of Universal Human Rights? Are they compatible?”

Lala Rubin Daniel, Patron-in-Chief of the MRM, and former MPA Pervaz Rafique, also Central President of the MRM, addressed the conference. They highlighted the challenges faced by religious minorities in Pakistan and proposed steps to ensure the protection of their human rights.

Prominent speakers included Bishop Dr Indrias Rehmat of the Catholic Diocese Faisalabad, Romana Bashir, a community activist advocating for women and minority rights, Tanveer Jahan, Human Rights Defender and Director of the Democratic Commission for Human Development, and Zakria Shah, human rights activist.

The speakers emphasised that the plight of religious minorities must align with the Charter of Universal Human Rights, urging the government to take immediate and practical steps to ensure inclusivity and equal rights.

Bishop Dr Indrias Rehmat stressed the importance of safeguarding religious freedoms and fostering interfaith harmony.

The conference adopted several resolutions aimed at addressing the issues, including increased political representation, enhanced educational opportunities, and the protection of religious minorities’ places of worship. It also demanded that minority seats in National and Provincial Assemblies be increased, with selection conducted under Article 226 of the Constitution.

The state was urged to ensure fair participation and resource allocation for religious minorities. The two per cent education quota for minority students should be raised to five per cent and funding for minority scholarships should be increased.

Also, the registration of minority religious organisations should be streamlined, and international aid supporting these organisations should be protected to bolster their development efforts.

The events in Jaranwala and Sargodha should be re-investigated, with those responsible held accountable.

The government was also called upon to take concrete measures to safeguard religious minorities’ places of worship, communities, and properties.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2024