11 November 2004	Thursday	27 Ramazan 1425

JHANG, Nov 10: Three people were injured, one of them critically, in a firing incident on the premises of district courts here on Wednesday.

The assailant, identified as Ghulam Abbas Balouch of Doaka Balouchan village, was later arrested by the police. The assailant, whose brother Qaisar and nephew Asmatulla, were killed in an encounter with the Qadirpur police a few months ago. He suspected that Sultan Balouch had provided information about his brother and nephew to the police.

On Wednesday, Sultan and his relative Muhammad Khan were present in the court in connection with a case when Abbas opened fire on them. As a result, they sustained injuries. Sultan, who was hit in the abdomen, was admitted to the DHQ Hospital in a critical condition. Before fleeing, the assailants opened fire on motorcyclist Tohid Ahmad for holding him out. He also suffered injuries.

BURNT: Phutti worth Rs2 million was burnt to ashes when a fire broke out in a mysterious circumstances in Puri cotton ginning factory in Rashidpur, some 40kms from here on Tuesday night.

Owner Sheikh Usman said the fire, the cause of which is still not known, soon engulfed phutti lying in factory's vast courtyard. Fire brigades were called out from Jhang and Toba Tek Singh. However, no one injured or killed in the incident.

ARRESTED: Jhang police claimed to have arrested 20 proclaimed offenders and 47 other outlaws and recovered from their possession a huge quantity of illicit arms during the last one week.

DPO Hamid Mukhtar Gondal told newsmen that the police seized six revolvers of 32 bore, 13 pistols of 30 bore, 11 guns of 12 bore, one carbine and two each rifles of 7mm and 8mm.