February 9, 2006	Thursday	Muharram 10, 1427

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FAISALABAD, Feb 8: The People’s Colony police on Wednesday registered a kidnap for ransom case against unidentified people and rounded up a dozen suspects in the wake of disappearance of an aggrieved party member in a murder case.

Sources said the FIR of the case had been sealed on the orders of a senior police officer and the People’s Colony police SHO had been made the complainant.

The police teams are raiding a number of places to find a clue to Zahid Saleem, who was abducted by the relatives of murder convict Rana Saqib alias Saqi, of Chak 209-RB, to force the family of Zahid to pardon the convict. However, the efforts made by the police so far have proved futile and the close relatives of convict Zahid Saleem have reportedly gone underground, police sources revealed.

Sources said this “highly sensitive case” had become a challenge for the police who had captured close relatives and associates of convict Saqib and asked them if Zahid Saleem was maltreated the would have to face the music, sources added.

It may be noted here that Saqib, a resident of Chak 209-RB had gunned down Muhammad Riaz in 1989 over a minor issue. He was awarded capital punishment about six years ago and all the superior courts had upheld the decision.

The relatives of the convict kidnapped Asim Ali, son of deceased Riaz, and threatened to kill him if Saqib was not pardoned.

However, the guy was released on the police interference but the accused persons now kidnapped Zahid Saleem, another relative of the Riaz family, to seek release of the convict.hoardings: The menace of over-sized hoardings installed in busy city areas continues unabated reflecting neglect on part of the town authorities concerned.

Commercial centres, especially Circular Road, Sargodha Road, GTS intersection, Abdullahpur intersection, Canal Road, Jaranwala Road, D-Ground’s Peoples Colony and Sosan Road are replete with giant billboards installed without any concern for environment and security of nearby buildings.

The situation aggravated when the defunct tehsil municipal administration (city), issued scores of no-objection certificates to various publicity and advertizing firms.

This trend encouraged municipal contractors to involve themselves in the business against a settled share for the local council.

The lack of check on the part of town authorities concerned has given a free hand to the companies and their advertizers to erect huge hoardings to get public attention.

Sources said over 600 huge hoardings had been installed in the city, most of them made of substandard material.

The defunct TMA also issued an NoC for a billboard on a two-kanal piece of precious state land situated near Koh-i-Noor Chowk, although it could have earned more money by using the land for some other purpose.

A number of huge billboards are being installed by local, national and multinational companies in the city which obtained NoCs against the criteria laid down by the TMA itself.

Dozens of over-sized boards have been installed close to high-tension electricity wires, which could prove dangerous. Similarly, scores of boards installed on inter-city routes are creating traffic problems and obstructing view.

Lyallpur Town Nazim Rana Zahid Mehmood and Madina Town Nazim Chaudhry Ali Akhtar Khan confirmed that many of the huge publicity boards had been installed in dangerous manner which could cause accidents.