November 27, 2001	Tuesday	Ramazan 11, 1422

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BAHAWALPUR, Nov 26: Local political and religious circles have strongly condemned the massacre of hundreds of non-Afghan PoWs and Taliban in Afghanistan by Northern Alliance and other opposition groups during the last two days.

In their separate statements here on Monday, leaders of different religious organizations, including Jamaat-i-Islami, Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl), held the US responsible for the mass killing.

They termed the carnage a clear negation of the Geneva Convention of PoWs and demanded that the government should immediately take up the issue with the United Nations, US and its allies.

Meanwhile, the JI at a gathering held here in connection with the Bab-i-Islam day, condemned the detention of religious leaders and noted scientists and called for their immediate and unconditional release.

CONCERN: Overcharging by private PCO owners was voiced at an open kutchery of the Divisional Director (Phones), Ibrahim Beg, here on Monday.

On various complaints, the divisional director assured them that overcharging would strictly be monitored and violators would be brought to book.

He said work on laying of 300 more telephone lines in Bahawalpur city would begin by June, 2002. He told a complainant that with the availability of imported cables, Chak 116-DB would be linked with the nearest telephone exchange.

RESCUE 15: The Rescue 15 has been set up in Bahawalpur for the convenience of people in case of any emergency.

DIG Mahar Ghulam Qadir, who paid a surprise visit to the Rescue 15 centre, was informed by SSP Arif Ikram that the centre would remain open round-the-clock.

He said three telephone lines would be at the beck and call of the needy people of Musafir Khana, Yazman and Lalsohanra. The SSP told the DIG that Rescue 15 would be manned by officials of the Elite force and motorcycle squads. They would be authorized to obtain finger prints and initiate any preventive measures, he said.

GANG-RAPE: A notorious dacoit and his three accomplices on Sunday allegedly gang-raped the wife of Mureed Hussain in Mouza Mamonabad near Uch Sharif.

Police claimed to have arrested two outlaws while the hunt for ring leader Manzoor Shah was on. He was wanted by police in a number of criminal cases. His other accomplices were identified as Farooq, Aslam and Ijaz.

RS1.3M LOOTED: Three armed robbers deprived the son of a local industrialist of Rs1.3 million from near here on Monday.

Police said Salman Maqbool was going by his car (BRH-271) from Bahawalpur to his ginning factory in Yazman. Near the bus adda, some 10 kilometres from here, armed motorcyclists intercepted him and snatched Rs1.3 million from him and made good their escape.

Baghdadul Jadeed police after registering a case have rounded up some suspects.

CALLED OFF: After a compromise with the local administration, the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) on Monday called off its protest rally against the maltreatment of its activists in the New Central Jail.

The administration assured the SSP to take up the matter with the Punjab Home department to make satisfactory arrangements for their fasting activists in the jail.