March 01, 2008	Saturday	Safar 22, 1429

SAHIWAL, Feb 29: Around 20 people attacked a police party and got freed a drug pusher from their custody near Chak 93/6-R on Thursday and deprived the policemen of cash and valuables besides injuring them.

The police registered a case against the attackers and arrested four of them. They also rearrested drug pusher, Niaz Ahmad, from whose custody the police had recovered 500 gram hashish during the raid conducted earlier.

Farid Town police personnel were escorting Niaz to the police station when around 20 men and women of the village started pelting stones on them. The villagers later got Niaz freed from the police custody and also snatched Rs5,640 in cash from the policeman, who saved their lives by running away.

Later, the Farid Town police registered a case on the report of head-constable Khadim Husain and constable Abdul Hamid against Niaz Ahmad, Mumtaz, Farooq, Arshad, Maqsood, Imran, Kashif, Asif, and 12 others, including six women, under Sections 224, 225, 382, 353, 186, 148, 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code and 9-B of the Control of Narcotics Substance Act.

Subsequently, a large contingent of the police raided the locality and netted Niaz Ahmed along with 4 others, whose names are being kept secret for the time being.

PETITION: The returning officer for PP-222 has rejected a petition filed by Alamdar Bukhari, the brother of PPP’s losing candidate Amjad Bukhari, against District Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission chairperson Nabeela Khan and union council nazim Agha Faisal for running the electioneering of PML-Q’s returned candidate Jalaluddin Dhakkoo.

The returning officer rejected the petition as the petitioner failed to prove his allegations against Nabeela and Faisal.

The provincial election commissioner had directed the returning officer to investigate the complaint.

RUN OVER: A Class-VI student was run over by a tractor near Chak 89/6-R on Friday. Umar Daraz was returning from school to his village, Muhammad Pur, on bicycle when a speeding tractor hit him, killing him on the spot. The Farid Town police registered case against the driver, who is still at large.