01 January 2005 Saturday 19 Ziqa'ad 1425 KARACHI: Ibad wants hiring powers vested in city nazim KARACHI, Dec 31: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad has taken strict notice of the illegal occupation of precious land on the outskirts of the city and manipulation in their official records. ... KARACHI: Work on Preedi Street reviewed KARACHI, Dec 31: The City Nazim, Niamatullah Khan, has directed removal of impediments in the construction of Preedi Street Extension from Saddar Dawakhana to Shahrah-i-Quaideen via the Lines Area. ... KARACHI: Minister seeks his depts' performance report KARACHI, Dec 31: Sindh Minister for Labour, Transport and Industries Mohammad Adil Siddiqui, presiding over a high-level meeting on Friday, sought the performance report of all the departments of his ministry. ... KARACHI: Private hospitals may have legal section KARACHI, Dec 31: A policy is being formulated under which the medico-legal officers (MLOs) will undergo training in forensic medicine after which they will be posted in various hospitals, including some privately-run ones. ... KARACHI: Report on school census delayed KARACHI, Dec 31: The Sindh Education Management Information System (Semis) has once again failed to finalize and publish the annual school census report 2003-04 in time. ... TOBA TEK SINGH: Hockey players honoured TOBA TEK SINGH, Dec 31: The Tehsil Municipal Administration decided on Friday to name various chowks of the town after former and present Pakistan hockey players belonging to Gojra. ... KARACHI: IT advisory board set up KARACHI, Dec 31: A Sindh Information Technology Advisory Board (SITAB) has been established, which will be headed by Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan as its chairman ... KARACHI: New academic session at KU to start from Saturday KARACHI, Dec 31: Academic session 2005 will commence on Saturday (Jan 1) at University of Karachi with the holding of bachelors and masters classes at various departments of the varsity. ... KARACHI: Rain, winds bring mercury down KARACHI, Dec 31: The mercury dropped and cold winds started to blow in the city, which received first winter showers on Thursday night. "However, the cold weather system, coming from Iran, that recently entered the city has exhausted itself ... KARACHI: Traffic plan for Nagan Chowrangi KARACHI, Dec 31: The city government has finalized an action plan to put an end to accidents at the Nagan Chowrangi. ... KARACHI: Hospital project reviewed KARACHI, Dec 31: The Sindh Minister for Planning and Development, Syed Shoaib Bukhari, on Friday reviewed the expansion project of the Sindh Government Qatar Hospital, Orangi Town during his visit to the hospital. ... KARACHI: AG issued notice on district bifurcation KARACHI, Dec 31: The Sindh High Court issued the advocate-general on Friday a pre-admission notice for Jan 4 on a petition challenging the bifurcation of Larkana district. ... KARACHI: Two bandits shot dead at bank in F B Area KARACHI, Dec 31: Two suspected bandits were shot dead outside a bank branch in F B Area on Friday morning. Police said that one Mohammad Saleem came out of the MCB Water Pump branch after withdrawing cash, when two suspects snatched the cash and tried to flee. ... KARACHI: Hearing of SESSI staff case on Jan 7 KARACHI, Dec 31: The hearing of a petition for regularization of 42 doctors employed by the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution was on Friday adjourned to Jan 7. ... ISLAMABAD: Tributes paid to Habib Jalib ISLAMABAD, Dec 31: Habib Jalib is bound to receive the highest praise from literary critics on the scale of great and good poetry though his works have remained in the dark. ... LAHORE: New Year revelry on rainy night LAHORE, Dec 31: Special police force was deployed in various parts of the city on the New Year's eve on Friday night to prevent any untoward incident. ... LAHORE: Paper for Holy Quran printing LAHORE, Dec 31: Punjab Quran Board chairman Maulana Muhammad Hanif Jallundhri has announced that the Holy Quran and primers would be printed on a minimum 55 gram light green and salmon coloured paper from Jan 1 onwards. ... FAISALABAD: Kidnappers of trader's son held in a day FAISALABAD, Dec 31: The district police claimed to have held six people, who had kidnapped a trader's son for Rs3 million ransom the other day. ... LAHORE: IGPs asked to gird up their loins - 51,000 POs in Punjab LAHORE, Dec 31: A division bench of the Supreme Court was informed on Friday that more than 51,000 criminals had been declared by the police as proclaimed offenders across the Punjab. They include 22,715 court absconders. ... PESHAWAR: Applications for private varsities rejected PESHAWAR, Dec 31: The Higher Education Regulatory Authority (HERA) has not approved any application for setting up a private university or college in the NWFP, it was learnt. ... VEHARI: Rain proves boon as well as bane VEHARI, Dec 31: Friday's rain which is a welcome relief for the countryside hit by water shortage badly affected civic life throughout the Punjab. ... GUJRANWALA: Impounding of vehicles goes on GUJRANWALA, Dec 31: The district administration and RTA secretary have continued impounding public transport vehicles on the third day with the help of traffic police after setting up of pickets at all city intersections here on Friday. ...

© The DAWN Group of Newspapers, 2005