May 4, 2005	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 24, 1426

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SIALKOT, May 3: Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has taken serious notice of press reports about the Daska City police’s failure to arrest the influential people, who had injured a minor girl.

Grievously hurt, the girl is fighting for life at the Daska Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.

Expressed grave concern over the incident, the CM has directed Sialkot DPO Osama Mumtaz Raja to immediately arrest the suspects and provide justice to the aggrieved family.

The CM has also sought a report within three days from the DPO.

According to reports, Islampura’s labourer Zulfiqar Sindhu’s daughter, Atifa (5), was seriously injured by their neighbour Arshad Mughal’s two sons — Umair and Husnain — by throwing bricks on March 29, 2005, over domestic dispute.

Suffering severe head injuries, she was shifted to the General Hospital in critical condition.

The Daska City police was reluctant to arrest the suspects nominated in the FIR due to political pressure of a UC Nazim.

The family had appealed the chief minister and the Punjab IGP to ensure the early arrest of the suspects.

When contacted, the labourer said his daughter was still in critical condition at the Daska THQ Civil Hospital. Being a labourer, he said, he was unable to bear the expenses of medical treatment.

He has also urged the CM to announce free medical treatment of his daughter.

SUSPENDED: DPO Osama Mumtaz Raja has suspended two SHOs from service for failing to control henious crimes in the areas falling under their respective police stations.

The SHOs are Inspector Ghulam Akbar of Uggoki police station and Inspector Malik Mukhtar Ahmad of Muradpur police station.

A strict departmental probe has also been ordered against the suspended SHOs.

JAILS: Efforts are being made to improve conditions of jails besides welfare of prisoners to make them useful citizens of society.

This was stated by Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Cabinet Division Dr Fardous Ashiq Awan during a visit to the local District Jail on Tuesday. She also listened to the problems being faced by the prisoners especially women.

Dr Fardous Ashiq Awan directed the jail authorities to ensure the provision of all basic facilities to the prisoners.

Superintendent Yousaf Ghouri said as many as 2,600 prisoners had been kept in the jail against a capacity of 662. He said 15 prisoners had joined computer diploma courses while an instructor had been appointed for religious education of the inmates.

The District Jail still remains overcrowded as no step has so far been taken to solve problems of the jails in Punjab. The provincial and district governments had made a plan to establish a new jail on the main Sialkot-Pasrur Road near Model Town No 2, but the plan still remains in doldrums.

Established in 1863, the District Jail building has already been declared dangerous by the authorities concerned.

According to the district nazim, the plan for establishing a new jail was in the pipeline.