September 15, 2007	Saturday	Ramazan 2, 1428

KASUR, Sept 14: Several taxi drivers gathered in front of Chunian Police Station on Friday to protest what they called “cruelty” of the TMA officials who allegedly beat up a driver for parking his car in front of the tehsil nazim’s office and failing to remove it urgently when he was told to do so.

A taxi driver Javid Iqbal had allegedly parked his car in front of Tehsil Nazim Rana Abbad’s office. Meanwhile, the nazim also wanted to embark upon a journey on which his driver asked the taxi driver to remove his vehicle and give him way urgently. While the taxi driver was removing his vehicle, Muhammad Imran, the nazim’s gunman, abused the taxi driver followed by a heated argument. The nazim’s gunman also resorted to aerial firing, which triggered panic in the area.

Later, at least six TMA officials joined their hands to thrash the taxi driver. The nazim also added to the gravity of the situation and called the traffic policemen and asked them to issue a ‘heavy’ fine ticket to the cab driver, which they hastily did.

Later, the taxi driver called his fellows, who gathered in front of the police station and chanted slogans against the nazim and his staffers for committing such a cruelty.

THEFT: Unidentified thieves stole dozens of cell phones and other valuables from a shop in Khalid Market on Thursday night in Chunian.

The thieves barged into Ghulam Sabir’s shop and fled after collecting cell phones and calling cards all worth Rs300,000. The police have held the local watchman on suspicions and started investigations. Shopkeepers have protested the incident and demanded a foolproof security in the wake of the incident.