SIALKOT, Nov 2: The Punjab government has allocated a grant of Rs130 million for the establishment of a well-equipped surgical training school for producing skilled labour force in the city.

This was stated by Punjab Industries Minister Muhammad Ajmal Cheema while talking to newsmen here on Tuesday.

He was of the view that the quality of the surgical instruments was not up to the mark due to the non-availability of skilled manpower.

He said German institutes-like training would be given to labourers in the school which would be affiliated with Germany's leading institutions for provision of advanced technology to local manpower through the Export Promotion Bureau.

The minister lauded the role of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry in socio-economic development of the city.

He said that construction of the country's second export processing zone on 238 acres of land near Sambrial-Daska would be completed shortly. The allotment of 880 commercial plots in EPZ had already been completed. He said the EPZ project would open new vistas of socio-economic development in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial, Wazirabad, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Pasur and surrounding areas.

CASE REGISTERED: Three separate cases were registered against police officials for illegally detaining and torturing innocent citizens on the orders of different courts.

On the orders of the Lahore High Court, Bambanwala police registered a case against Daska city police station SHO Sub-Inspector Zulfiqar Chattha, Sub-Inspector Faqir Husain, ASIs Nisar Ahmad and Amjad Ali and five policemen Aslam, Mukhtar, Ashfaq, Akhtar and Maqbool.

The policemen illegally entered the house of landlord Navid Butt in Mitranwali village on December 31 last, took him to police station where they subjected him to severe torture.

On the order of Daska additional district and sessions judge, Motra police registered two separate cases against Sambrial police station SHO Sub-Inspector Fiaz Sherazi and several other policemen.

According to the FIR, the accused police officials stormed into the shop of Arshad Mahmood Bhatti in Adam Draz village on Aug 25, took him to Motra police station and tortured him. They released him after getting Rs18,000 in cash and a mobile phone from him.

A day earlier, the police team, led by SHO Sub-Inspector Fiaz Sherazi, raided the house of Mr Bhatti, beat up his wife and took away Rs30,000 from the house. They threatened her with dire consequences and killing her children if the matter was reported to their high-ups. No arrest has yet been made.

TEXTILE COLLEGE: The Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association (PHMA), Sialkot region, has demanded establishment of a textile college in Sialkot for producing skilled work force in sports wear and fashion.

In a letter to the Federal Commerce Minister, the PHMA pointed out that there was a huge business potential for hosiery/knitwear and sports wears in Sialkot.