VEHARI, June 15: Police had staged a fake encounter on May 24 at Chak no 23-WB. This was alleged by Vehari district council member and PML-N vice-president, Chaudhry Zahid Anwer Wahla, while addressing a press conference at his office in grain market on Thursday.

Mr Wahla, husband of PML-N leader Tehmina Daultana, said the police claim that Ashraf alias jani was a proclaimed offender and involved in about 24 cases registered in different cities of the province, was baseless.

The PML-N leader claimed that Ashraf was detained at Multan jail from Oct 7, 2002 to Oct 17, 2003 and the police record showed seven dacoity cases against him in various cities of Punjab. Mr Wahla said in fact the accused was involved only in three cases, later the court had released him in these cases, and in other cases he had not been nominated.

The district council member alleged that on May 24, 2006, a police party, including SHO Aslam Ghuman, constable Zia, and others, besieged the house of Ashraf and called him out.

When he opened the door, the police resorted to firing from the roof of his house, killing him on the spot, the PML-N leader said. According to autopsy report, Zahid Wahla said, Ashraf died at 10:30am and his body reached hospital at about 3:15pm while Chak 23-WB was only 10km away from Vehari. Mr Wahla said the district council in its recent meeting had demanded a transparent inquiry into this police encounter.

However, he said, a judicial probe had already been started in this regard. About two dozen family members of Ashraf were also present at the press conference.

Eye ward: An NGO — Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) of Australia has announced construction of a state-of-the-art eye ward at DHQ Hospital.

This was said by FHF country manager Dr Rubina Gillani during her visit to the DHQ hospital along with Punjab institute of preventive ophthalmology director Prof Dr Asad Aslam Khan, Dr Ismatullah Chaudhry, Shahid Rasool Niazi, DCO Muhammad Ayub Qazi, district Naib Nazim Yousaf Kesalia and EDO (health) Dr Pervaiz Haider.