May 27, 2003	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 24,1424

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RAWALPINDI, May 26: As many as 10 people were killed in separate incidents in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Monday, police and hospital sources said.

According to the police, three persons were killed while another one was injured when an oil-tanker exploded at Soan on the GT Road.

Eye-witnesses said the oil-tanker (LPT-4845) blew off when one of the victims, Sagheer Ahmed, was welding the vehicle at around 6:30pm.

The oil-tanker owner, Mohammad Saddique, and driver Abdul Qadir, who were standing near the vehicle, were killed along with Sagheer Ahmed after being hit by flying pieces of iron, they added.

The conductor, Ghulam Abbas, also sustained critical injuries in the incident and was admitted to a local private clinic. However, according to hospital sources, the conductor is in stable condition.

The bodies of the three victims have been shifted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.

The station house officer of Sihala police station, Arshad Khokhar, attributed the incident to “human error”, saying that an initial investigation showed that the workers did not open the air outlet of the tanker before starting the repair work.

Meanwhile, Malik Hussain, a Lance Naik, was shot death by some unidentified persons outside his Gracy Line residence in Chaklala.

Zulfiqar Ahmed, the brother of the deceased, lodged an FIR with the Airport police, saying that he came to see his brother and stayed at his residence. In the morning, his brother’s wife informed him that Malik Hussain, who had gone out in search of his bicycle that had been missing, was found shot dead outside his house.

The police said investigation was underway to trace the killers and ascertain the motive behind the murder. The wife of the deceased claimed that her husband did not have any enmity.

In another incident, Mohammad Qadir, an electrician, was electrocuted while repairing the supply line of a shop near Barri Imam shrine.

Similarly, a 13-year-old boy was electrocuted in Westridge.

Habib Khan, a sixth class student, was heading home from school when he touched a high-tension wire. The injured boy was shifted to the hospital where he died, the boy’s father told the police.

Zulfiqar Ali Shah, who had come to Barri Imam Urs, died under mysterious circumstances on Monday. Police said the body had been shifted to Pims.

Likewise, Wasil Khan, a police constable posted at Line Headquarters Islamabad, died after falling from the balcony of his flat in Sector G-9/1.

The police said Wasil Khan slipped from the balcony while attempting to enter his house. He suffered critical head injuries that caused his death.

A woman died after she set herself on fire in Kolianpur (Saddar Baruni police area) on Monday.

Musarrat Bibi, wife of Iqbal, was in distress as her in-laws were forcing Iqbal to send her back to her parents’ house in response to a similar treatment meted out to Iqbal’s sister, who had been married to Musarrat’s brother. She doused herself with kerosene oil and set herself on fire. The woman died on the spot.

In another incident, a man was run over by a car in Rawat.