22 February 2004	Sunday	01 Muharram 1425

FAISALABAD, Feb 21: Four robbers, who boarded a Daewoo company bus making for Lahore on Saturday evening, plundered cash and valuables worth thousands of rupees from passengers near Sahianwala inter-change on the motorway.

Reports said a bus left for Lahore at 7pm and it had covered hardly 24 kilometres when four men whipped out pistols. They held up some of the females and children, and snatched cash, gold ornaments, wrist watches, cellular phone sets and other valuables from 45 passengers.

The armed men also thrashed two youngsters when they tried to resist after which they fled towards a deserted area of Sahianwala in Chak Jhumra police station precinct.

It is learnt to be the first ever incident since the Daewoo bus service was launched.

The Motorway police and an area police team reached there and talked to the victims. No clue to the outlaws has been found so far.

When contacted, the Daewoo Faisalabad Terminal on-duty manager confirmed the incident, saying they were worried because all the passengers had been boarded after frisking through metal detector.

Rally: Hundreds of people from all walks of life participated in a rally under the aegis of health department, district government, Tehsil Municipal Administration and Pakistan Poultry Association for ending the Bird Flu scare among the public.

Led by City Nazim Mumtaz Ali Cheema, they marched through different city roads, starting from the District Government Secretariat. They were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans urging maximum use of chickens and eggs and claiming that there was no Bird Flu virus in Pakistan.

They held a meeting at the Clock Tower intersection where government officials, office-bearers of NGOs, food experts and elected representatives highlighted the damages caused to the poultry industry due to the Bird Flu scare.

Two die: Two friends died in mysterious circumstances at Premier Mills Colony in the limits of Factory Area Police Station here on Friday night.

According to police, Sakhi Muhammad and Muhammad Ali imbibed liquor and fell unconscious.

Rani, wife of Sakhi, informed the area police and shifted them to a hospital nearby, where they died.

The police sent the bodies to Allied Hospital for autopsy and took the informer into custody. However, no case has so far been registered.