19 March 2004 Friday 27 Muharram 1425 KARACHI: Ibad reviews arrangements for Sindh Sea Festival KARACHI, March 18: The Sindh Sea Festival to be celebrated this year should be exemplary and reflective of culture and tourism as well as trade and industry of the province. These views were expressed by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad while chairing a high-level meeting at the Governor House on Thursday. ... KARACHI: High court gives last chance to settle issue - City govt-KBCA dispute KARACHI, March 18: The Sindh High Court gave the provincial government a final opportunity on Thursday to settle the controversy between the City District Government and the Karachi Building Control Authority and decided to adjudicate the matter on merits on March 25. ... KARACHI: Senior officials of KWSB reshuffled KARACHI, March 18: In a major development, a number of senior KWSB officials have either been transferred or promoted to the rank of deputy managing directors or relieved of their additional charges. ... KARACHI: Rural health care system in shambles KARACHI, March 18: Around half of the health care units in rural areas of Karachi, falling under the administrative control of the city government, are non-functional and many of these have been closed. ... KARACHI: Youth's diminishing interest in poetry deplored KARACHI, March 18: The poetry has always been considered a civilized way of expressing emotions that leaves great impact on human lives in peace and war ... KARACHI: Girls college in Gulshan inaugurated KARACHI, March 18: City Nazim Niamatullah Khan on Thursday inaugurated the Government Girls Degree College, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, built at a cost of Rs21.8 million for which the University of Karachi had donated a one-acre piece of land. ... KARACHI: Need to check growing rate of malaria stressed - Mortality rate alarming KARACHI, March 18: Pakistan being an endemic zone for malaria registers an estimated 50,000 deaths every year with victims pertaining to all age groups. ... KARACHI: Apathy mars hospital's ambulance service KARACHI, March 18: Due to apathy of authorities concerned, three ambulances of the Sindh Government Services Hospital have been out of order for last three years causing immense hardships in shifting patients from one place to other for different tests and treatment. ... KARACHI: SSC exams - use of unfair means on the rise KARACHI, March 18: The use of unfair means by candidates in the ongoing SSC annual examinations is on the rise, but a minimal incidence of offence is reported to the authority concerned for any punitive action, sources in academic circles said. ... KARACHI: Drive against encroachers turns violent KARACHI, March 18: The anti-encroachment campaign launched by Faisal Cantonment Board in Gulistan-i-Jauhar turned violent on Thursday when the board officials had to use force to raze illegal structures from footpaths. ... KARACHI: Prisoner hangs himself to death KARACHI, March 18: An under trial prisoner hanged himself in Central Prison Karachi on Thursday. PIB Colony police said that Azam Baloch, 28, was found hanging in a barrack. ... KARACHI: Atta retailers complain of overcharging by millers KARACHI, March 18: Feeling the heat of city government's efforts to control flour price, wholesalers and retailers have urged the food department to also taken action against millers who, they said ... KARACHI: EPA official stresses on tribunal KARACHI, March 18: The Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stressed the need for an early establishment of environment protection tribunal in Sindh to prosecute violators of the relevant laws. ... KARACHI: SHC adjourns hearing of Asma Nawab case KARACHI, March 18: An anti-terrorism appellate bench of the Sindh High Court, comprising Justice Sarmard Jalal Osmany and Justice Muhammad Mujeebullah Siddiqui ... KARACHI: KBCA seeks restoration of protected building KARACHI, March 18: A shop owner, who had carried out illegal construction work in a building protected under the Sindh Cultural Heritage Protection Act, has been directed to restore the premises, it is learnt. ... KARACHI: Victimization of shipyard workers criticized KARACHI, March 18: Protesters at a rally, on Thursday, demanded that all the sacked leaders and workers belonging to the CBA Union of Karachi Shipyard be reinstated immediately. ... LAHORE: Work on Mustafaabad underpass after July LAHORE, March 18: The Punjab government is planning to construct underpasses and flyovers in busy areas of the city, and it will start working on the Mustafaabad (Dharampura) crossing after the monsoon season. ... LAHORE: Old Ravians for peace process' continuity LAHORE, March 18: A delegation of Old Ravians from Chandigarh, India, has stressed that the ongoing peace process should continue to strengthen relationships. ... LAHORE: Room-coolers no more affordable LAHORE, March 18: People belonging to the low-income group are likely to experience the worst ever summer this year as fans and room-coolers have gone dearer due to a 100 per cent increase in the prices of raw material. ... LAHORE: Tribunal to frame charges against Sahi on April 12 LAHORE, March 18: An election tribunal of the Lahore High Court declared on Thursday that it would frame charges against Punjab Assembly Speaker Afzal Sahi on April 12 on the basis of an election petition. ... LAHORE: Licences - PBC ignored rules for 30 years LAHORE, March 18: The Punjab Bar Council has issued licences to the new entrants to practice law without meeting statutory provisions for almost 30 years. ... LAHORE: Afridi's appeal adjourned sine die LAHORE, March 18: The Lahore High Court on Thursday adjourned sine die the appeal of Rehmat Shah Afridi, editor-in-chief of The Frontier Post, against his death sentence. ... BADIN: Protest against water shortage BADIN, March 18: A strike was observed in Kario Ghanwar, Shaheed Fazil Rahu, on Wednesday against shortage of irrigation water. Residents of the area also staged a sit-in on the Shaheed Fazil Rahu-Hyderabad road for three hours. ... KARACHI: Delay in execution of health project deplored KARACHI, March 18: An inordinate delay in executing the approved project of a basic health unit has created unrest among residents of Shamspir Island, Keamari Town. ... GUJRANWALA: Three Elite Force officials get bail GUJRANWALA, March 18: The Anti-Terrorism Court No 1 accepted on Thursday the interim bail of the Elite Force's three constables in the Sialkot jail incident. ... SAHIWAL: Power outage for hours irks people SAHIWAL, March 18: Residents of several parts of the district went through an ordeal on Thursday, as electricity remained suspended for seven hours due to some fault in Mepco grid station. ... SHEIKHUPURA: Woman, niece slaughtered SHEIKHUPURA, March 18: Two women were slaughtered with sharp-edged weapons on Thursday by some unidentified men in city's Y Block Housing Colony. According to DPO Nawaz Warraich ... SIALKOT: Two robbers, constable die in encounter SIALKOT, March 18: Two dacoits and a constable were killed while another constable was injured in an encounter in Kaadiyanwali village of Pasrur tehsil on Thursday. ... JHANG: Substandard construction of road alleged JHANG, March 18: An MPA has expressed serious concern over the breaking of an under-construction road as substandard material was being used by the contractor. ... TOBA TEK SINGH: Toba govt objects to frequent transfers TOBA TEK SINGH, March 18: District Nazim Chaudhry Muhammad Ashfaq has assured the district council members that he will request Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi not to transfer officers without consulting the local government. ... LAHORE: Minister says malaria under control LAHORE, March 18: Punjab Minister for Health Dr Tahir Ali Javed denied on Thursday there had been an outbreak of malaria in the province. The Malaria Control Programme (MCP) had been working effectively ... PESAHWAR: Home dept to handle prosecution PESHAWAR, March 18: The NWFP government has separated the Directorate of Prosecution from the provincial law department and attached it to the Department for Home and Tribal Affairs. ... PESHAWAR: City govt uplift funds likely to lapse PESHAWAR, March 18: The city district government, Peshawar, and its four town municipal administrations (TMAs) are not likely to utilize 100 per cent of the development funds ... HARIPUR: No paper filed for women's reserved seats in Haripur HARIPUR, March 18: About 12 local government seats reserved for woman in different union councils of Haripur district will remain vacant as no papers were filed ... HYDERABAD: Power breakdown - no respite for Hyderabad HYDERABAD, March 18: Erratic power supply to different parts of the city for the past several days has made the lives of people miserable. Several crucial operations had to be postponed on account of power failure ... HYDERABAD: Nazim, councillors launch protest - Non-release of funds HYDERABAD, March 18: The district Nazim and council members here on Thursday started wearing black arm-bands to launch their protest against non-release of development funds. ... HYDERABAD: SSC exams end amid boycott by teachers HYDERABAD, March 18: Government secondary school teachers continued their boycott of class IX and X examinations here and other parts of interior of Sindh on the last day of the examinations on Thursday. ... HYDERABAD: Woman says police defying court order HYDERABAD, March 18: A woman, who fears that she and her husband may be killed for marrying against the will of their parents, has accused police of defying court directives by continuing to harass them. ... HYDERABAD: Ex-adviser's order set aside by court;' Sacking of 8 employees HYDERABAD, March 18: Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, here on Thursday set aside an order of the former provincial health adviser, terminating the services of eight employees. ... HYDERABAD: Protests against flour price rise HYDERABAD, March 18: Activists of Pasban held a demonstration outside the press club here on Thursday to protest against rise in flour price. ... RAWALPINDI: Bomber's body given to family RAWALPINDI, March 18: The body of a suicide bomber who had blown himself up on the premises of Imambargah Yadgar-i-Hussaini in Satellite Town on February 28 was handed over to his family by the police on Thursday. ... SUKKUR: Attempt to blow up gas pipeline fails SUKKUR, March 18: Unknown people on Thursday tried to blow up a gas pipeline near Kandhkot. A powerful explosion dented a pillar attached to the pipeline and made a five-feet deep crater in the ground. ... LARKANA: 30 JSQM activists arrested LARKANA, March 18: Around 30 activists of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz were arrested in different towns of the district on Thursday. Police conducted raids in Larkana, Miro Khan, Dokri, Sujawal ... SUKKUR: Cane-growers stage sit-in - Demand for payment of dues SUKKUR, March 18: Sugarcane growers on Wednesday night staged a sit-in near Moro against the non-payment of dues by sugar mills. The protesters, led by former provincial minister Khan Mohammad Dahri and Syed Zainul-Abideen ... SANGHAR: Council resents wheat shortage SANGHAR, March 18: District council members have expressed concern over shortage of wheat and rising prices of flour as well as sale of spurious cotton seeds in the district. ... DADU: Strike against police, Hesco DADU, March 18: A shutter-down strike was observed in Bhan Saeedabad on Thursday against the murder of a villager allegedly by police and Hesco officials three days back. ... MITHI: Shortage of anti-snake venom in hospitals MITHI, March 18: There was an acute shortage of anti-snake venom in health centres of the district, sources told this correspondent on Wednesday. The sources said at least 14 snake-bite cases were brought to the civil hospital Mithi from March 9 to 16. ... BAHAWALPUR: Tehsil Nazim quits office for bypolls BAHAWALPUR, March 18: Tahir Bashir Cheema, the younger brother of district Nazim Tariq Cheema, resigned on Thursday from the office of Chishtian tehsil office to contest the bypolls from NA-190 (Chishtian), Bahawalnagar III. ...

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