April 4, 2003	Friday	Safar 1, 1424

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GUJRANWALA, April 3: Gakkhar Rural Health Centre in-charge Dr Muhammad Akram Bagri was suspended from service on Thursday on the charge of humiliating an MPA.

The Provincial Health Minister also issued him a show-cause notice.

Talking to Dawn, MPA Mian Mazher Javed said the medical officer had a case registered against him on the basis of a fake medico-legal certificate which he would challenge in a court of law.

He alleged that the Gakkhar RHC MO got the main gate closed for patients and visitors and he had to wait for 20 minutes outside the hospital. He said he had gone there to discuss the problems of patients with the medical officer.

The MO, he claimed, had humiliated him in his office when he suggested that the main gate of the hospital should remain be opened for patients.

He alleged that the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) had launched the campaign against him at the behest of his political rivals.

Meanwhile, the PMA announced that all medical officers of Civil Hospitals would go on strike if the MPA and his men involved in a case were not arrested within three days.

ACTION: At least 1,000 vehicles, including buses and cars, violate traffic rules every day on the GT Road while the National Highway and Motorway Police will shortly be empowered to take action against the violators.

This was stated by NH and MP SSP Shariq Jamal in a briefing here on Thursday.

He said that Gujranwala was a big transport centre from where about 6,000 vehicles departed for Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Sheikhupura, Sargodha and Faisalabad daily.

Elaborating, he said the Motorway police had taken control on the GT Road from Kharian to Lahore, but patrolling officers had yet not been empowered to check and issue the challan tickets.

He said the NH and MP had started informing the vehicle crew about the awareness of traffic laws through pamphlets.

In the first phase, he said checking powers would be delegated to patrolling officers from Lahore to Kamoki and later Kamoki to Chowk Lohianwala, Gujranwala.

HANDCUFFED: A local banking court judge ordered handcuffing two heavyweight defaulters on Thursday and later sent them to jail besides issuing arrest warrants for half a dozen other defaulters.

Two manure agency proprietors — Malik Umer Iqbal and Dr Israr Raza had borrowed Rs10 million collectively from the HBL’s Sialkot branch.

Meanwhile, court issued arrest warrants for half a dozen other defaulters and ordered police to produce them before court after their arrest on next hearing. Anwer, Shehzad, Ijaz, Riaz, Akram and Ashraf were the owners of sports factories.

ARRESTED: Baghbanpura police claimed to have arrested four members of a robbers gang, including its ring leader, after a brief encounter.

Police also recovered five stolen motorcycles and illegal arms from their possession.

DPO Saud Aziz said here on Thursday that outlaws would take refuge in a graveyard after committing robberies. On a tip-off, he said police raided there and arrested four robbers after a brief shootout.