April 27, 2002	Saturday	Safar 13, 1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

GUJRANWALA, April 26: The Anti-Terrorism Court No 1 acquitted on Friday the main accused and activist of the banned SSP involved in the murder of banned TJP divisional president and former DBA senior vice-president Ijaz Hussain Rasul Nagari.

Judge Iftikhar Hussain Shah had already acquitted two SSP leaders Rana Muhammad Sarwar and Qari Rashid Ahmed on Thursday for the lack of evidence.

According to the prosecution, they had killed TJP divisional president when he was on his way to district courts from Peoples Colony on Sept 30, 1999.

57 YEARS JAIL TERM: The additional sessions judge on Friday awarded 57 years imprisonment and fined Rs200,000 to a convict in a hudood ordinance case.

The court handed down 25 years jail term with a fine of Rs100,000 on the charge of abducting a woman and 25 years imprisonment with a fine of Rs100,000 for raping her. The judge also awarded him seven-year imprisonment for selling the victim to another person.

The court acquitted three co-accused — Asghar, Fakhran Bibi and Hanifan Bibi — by giving them the benefit of the doubt.

According to the prosecution, convict Muhammad Arshad had abducted woman ‘Y’ from Naushera Virkan, raped her and later sold her to Dost Muhammad of Mianwali on Oct 30, 1999.

BISE WORKERS STRIKE: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education employees continued their strike for the 12th successive day on Friday against non-payment of salaries according to revised pay scales.

A workers’ meeting was held in the board complex which was presided over by Employees Welfare Association president Bashir Ahmad Cheema.

Speaking on the occasion, association leaders expressed their concern over non-acceptance of their genuine demand. They alleged that the provincial finance department and bureaucracy were creating hurdles in the payment of salaries according to new pay scales.

They claimed that the finance department had released salaries of all officers on deputation according to new pay scale while the BISE employees were being denied salaries.

They threatened that they would continue their strike till the acceptance of their demands.

Meanwhile, the Gujranwala board chairman said he would pay salaries according to new pay scales if the Punjab Boards Chairmen Committee gave an approval.

The board administration, in the meantime, expressed the fear that preparation of matriculation examination results would be delayed if the employees continued their strike.