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February 16, 2009	Monday	Safar 20, 1430

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MUZAFFARGARH, Feb 15: The district police officer (DPO) has ordered enhancing security for women’s rights activist Mukhtar Mai in Meerwala in Jatoi tehsil, some 80 kilometres away from here.

Sources said the police took measures after Mai gave statements in the media that local politicians were harassing her and her family and were pressurising her to withdraw the rape case.

DPO Sahibzada Shehzad Sultan directed the sub-divisional police officers (SDPOs) of Jatoi and Alipur to provide her adequate security. The DPO also sent police guard for the women’s rights activist.

Mai said that federal minister Abdul Qayyum Khan Jatoi and PPP MNA Jamshed Dasti were threatening her to withdraw the case despite she had supported Jatoi in the general elections.

She said that she had seen enhanced security and SDPOs were visiting the police post in Meerwala to comply with the DPO’s instructions. She said that Dasti and Jatoi’s allegations against her be investigated.

DEMO: Nazims of south Punjab belt will hold a protest demonstration and convention here on March 3, acting-district nazim Malik Allah Dad Khar told Dawn on Sunday.

The convention will be attended by all district, tehsil and union council nazims and councillors and senior leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q faction will speak on the occasion.

The convention is being organised against the provincial government’s policies of snatching authority from nazims. A PML-Q leader said the PML-N government wanted to derail this system.

Dad said that he had no authority in financial matters. He said that allegations of corruption were baseless as all projects could only be launched through district development committee chaired by the respective district coordination officer. He claimed that seven district nazims, former president Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, Nasruulah Dareshak, Rai Mansab and Sikandar Bosan will attend the convention. He said another convention will be held in Lahore on March 7.