December 6, 2001	Thursday	Ramazan 20, 1422

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FAISALABAD, Dec 5: An operation will be launched against illegal occupants of state land soon after the Eid.

Sources said here on Wednesday that the Punjab government had received complaints that some influential persons had illegally occupied government property. Following these reports, highups of all the departments concerned had been directed to send details of illegally-allotted properties of their departments.

The sources said it had also been decided that the state land after being got vacated would be leased out through auction to generate funds for local governments.

They claimed that action would also be taken against government employees providing ‘protection’ to the “qabza group” reportedly after getting a handsome amount as bribe.

The sources said intelligence agencies had also been directed to collect proofs against former mayors, chairmen and administrators of local body institutions about their involvement in allotting or leasing out government properties to their favourites by relaxing procedural formalities and without inviting tenders.

“Executive district officers (Revenue) have also been directed by the Punjab chief secretary to send a report about the state land grabbed by the influential.”

THREE INJURED: Three persons, including two women, sustained serious bullet injuries when a youth opened fire on them in district courts here on Wednesday.

Sobia Shaikh after some differences with her husband, Shahzad, approached a civil court for dissolution of the marriage. On Wednesday, she along with her father, Shaukat, and mother Abida Bibi was on her way home after attending the court when Shahzad opened fire on them. They all sustained critical injuries and were admitted to the local Allied Hospital.

Meanwhile, the district police chief has suspended from service four policemen deployed at the district courts for negligence in duty.

FIRE: A man tried to burn alive his wife and children by setting his house on fire in Zahid Town here on Tuesday night.

Ibrahim exchanged hot words with his wife, Haleema Bibi, and children over a domestic dispute. At night, he reportedly set his house on fire after sprinkling kerosene on it. However, his wife and children escaped unhurt.

Police have registered a case against Ibrahim.

Robberies: Robbers made off with hundreds of thousands of rupees in cash, gold ornaments, other valuables and four motorcycles in nine strikes on Wednesday.

Gunmen looted Rs115,000 in cash, gold ornaments worth hundreds of thousands of rupees, electric appliances and other valuables from the house of Imdad Ahmad in Chak 495 GB.

Two young men snatched Rs125,000 in cash from the manager of a private firm, Jalil Ahmad, and his motorcycle (FDY 9536) in Mansoorabad.

Unidentified robbers took away cloth worth Rs400,000 from the godown of Abdul Islam in Chak 73 JB.

Three armed men took away thousands of rupees in cash and other valuables from a shop in the People’s Colony.

Three robbers entered the house of Maqsood Ahmad in Chak 296 GB and escaped with cash and gold ornaments. They beat up the house owner when he tried to overpower one of them.

Three gunmen snatched Rs10,000 from one Zafar Iqbal when he was going on his way home to Chak 215 RB after withdrawing the amount.

Two highwaymen deprived shopkeeper Suleman Ali of his motorcycle (FDW-5219) at gunpoint from Faisalabad-Jhang Road.

A motorcycle (FDX-1665) of a trader, Jawad, was taken away from Bilal Mosque in the Civil Lines area.

Khalil Ahmad’s motorcycle (FDW-8677) was taken away from outside his house in Iqbal Nagar.