March 29, 2006	Wednesday	Safar 28, 1427

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HYDERABAD, March 28: The Pakistan chapter of the Association of Peoples of Asia has condemned what it called a conspiracy to sabotage the Khokhrapar-Munabao rail service and appealed to President Gen Pervez Musharraf to take notice of it. In a statement issued here on Tuesday, the chapter’s president Khurshid Ahmad Shaikh, provincial president Zafar Ahmad Rajput and Syed Abbas Ali Jafri said that at the Wagah border, customs and immigration clearance took only two hours but at Zero Point, Khokhrapar, passengers had to wait for 10 hours to get clearance from customs, anti-narcotics and immigration departments. Contrary to this, they said, passengers were cleared in two hours across the border at Munabao.

They alleged that on the Pakistani side, passengers were harassed to discourage them in using the route.

They demanded that the anti-narcotics counter should be merged in the customs counter at Zero Point to save the time of passengers.

They appealed to the president to order an inquiry against elements trying to fail the service.

They also complained that the canteen staff at the Zero Point station was looting people and a mineral water bottle which cost Rs12 was being sold at Rs40 in connivance with the bureaucracy.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy, Sindh and Rajasthan chapters, at its recent meeting held here decided to hold a Sindh and Rajasthan convention of the forum in Hyderabad in August.

The meeting called upon both the countries to open their consulates in Karachi and Jodhpur and start issuing visas from these places.

It demanded that a bus service should also be introduced along with the Khokhrapar-Munabao rail service and visas should be issued not on town basis, but on country basis.

It said people above 60 years of age should be exempted from visa and they should be issued only entry visa at the exit point.

Mir Sikandar Ali Khan Talpur, president of the Sindh chapter of the forum, presided over the meeting which was attended by Babu Lal and Kishan Chand from the Rajasthan chapter and Khurshid Ahmad advocate, Zafar Ahmad Rajput, Jalal Ahmad Khan Leghari and others from the Pakistan side.

NARCOTICS: The executive director of the Narconon International, Hyderabad, Dr Mohammad Sharif, has said narcotics are most destructive for human mind and body because they destroy vitamins and salts in the human body and paralyse the mind.

He was delivering a lecture at the Hyderabad Public School on Tuesday. The programme was organized by Narconon to create awakening among students against narcotics.

Latifabad Taluka Nazim Sabir Qaimkhani was the chief guest.

Dr Darya Khan Leghari said urged parents and teachers to keep students away from narcotics as the youth were the future leaders and builders of the country.

Dr Leghari also called for legislation under which medical stores should not be allowed to sell drugs without the prescription of a registered medical practitioner.

School principal Prof Raza Abbasi praised Narconon for organizing informative lectures in educational institutions.

Mr Qaimkhani also lauded Narconon for launching a drug education programme in the Latifabad taluka.

MUET: The Mehran University of Engineering of Technology, Jamshoro, on Tuesday finalized the admission schedule for 2006-2007 in engineering, architecture and city and regional planning disciplines.

The schedule was approved at a meeting of the academic council held under the chairmanship of vice-chancellor Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan Rajput.

The admission process will start in August with the issuance of admission forms through designated branches of the Habib Bank.

The meeting was attended by principals of affiliated colleges of the university, members of the academic council, professors and chairmen of departments of the university.