Answer sheets theft case RAWALPINDI, April 15: A three-member committee, appointed by the higher education department Punjab, has started inquiry against five suspended officials of Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) who were involved in answer sheets theft case, it has been learnt.

An official source in the BISE told Dawn that the committee headed by Asghar Mall college principal Prof Aleemuddin would grill deputy controller Malik Munir, secrecy branch superintendent Raja Arshad, office superintendent Mohammad Sadaqat, clerks Arif Ali and Mohammad Ismail.

The five officials along with former BISE controller examination Abdul Sattar were suspended on April 9 after an initial inquiry. They were held responsible for not collecting the solved answer sheets from a bank in Rawat area in time as over 500 sheets were recovered from a private school teacher by police. —Our Reporter Explosives seized TAXILA, April 15: Taxila police on Friday claimed to have foiled a terror plot and seized explosives and arrested one suspect.

DSP Taxila-Wah Cantt circle Raja Taifoor Akhter while addressing press conference at Taxila police station on Friday said on a tip-off, a police party intercepted a Suzuki car (LOR- 2743) on Khanpur road and during search recovered 300 detonators, 5,750 safety fuse wire, 67 packet of explosives.

One suspects identified as Zawar Hussain Shah was also arrested. — Correspondent Eight injured in accident FATEHJANG, April 15: Eight passengers were injured, three of them critically, in a truck-van collision on Rawalpindi Road near Qutbal tool plaza on Friday.

According to police sources, a passenger van collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction in bid to overtake another vehicle. As a result, eight persons identified as Amir, Riasat, Noor Muhammad, Muhammad Hanif, Abdul Khaliq, Shaista, Farzana and Resham Jan sustained injuries. The injured were shifted to the hospital while the three seriously wounded passengers were rushed to a Rawalpindi hospital. The police registered a case started investigation. —Correspondent Woman sets herself on fire GUJAR KHAN, April 15: A woman set herself on fire on Friday as she was disappointed being issueless even after two years of her marriage, the police said.

According to the investigation officer, Tahzeeb Bibi married her first cousin Nomaan Mahmood two years back in Bhai Khan village in the limit of Gujar Khan police station. He said that she was extremely disappointed as she could not bear a child and used to insist her husband on divorcing her. But he was not ready to do so. According to Nomaan, on Friday evening she again raised the issue of divorce that he declined. At this, she went into the bath room and sprinkled kerosene on her body from the bottle she had already placed there and set herself on fire. He said he tried his best to save her but in vain and she expired before reaching the hospital. The police registered a case and further investigation was underway. —Correspondent Crackdown on encroachments RAWALPINDI, April 15: The Town Municipal Administration (TMA), Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) and revenue department officials have been directed to purge the city of encroachments.

Newly-appointed DCO Saqib Zafar gave these directions while chairing his first meeting with 11 Executive District Officers (EDOs) here on Friday.

Mr Zaffar said that a modern industrial estate would be established in order to provide alternative business place to the traders so that the rapid commercial activities in the city might be shifted to the industrial estate. “The growing commercial activities in the city are not only a burden on the limited civic infrastructure but are also causing traffic problems. The establishment of modern industrial estate is inevitable,” the DCO said. The DCO directed the civic bodies to launch a decisive crackdown on the encroachers.— Our Reporter Plaza victims given cheques RAWALPINDI, April 15: The 351 traders affected by the Ghakhar Plaza fire incident were given cheques worth Rs50 million here on Friday.

The financial assistance has been provided by Punjab Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif to compensate the traders of the Ghakkar Plaza who faced huge losses due to fire in the plaza in 2008.

The cheques were distributed in a function held in the auditorium of Rawalpindi Arts Council on Friday. MNA Hanif Abbasi was the chief guest on the occasion.

Each affected trader falling in ‘A’ category was given Rs250,000, each trader falling in ‘B” category got Rs200,000 and each trader falling in ‘C’ category was provided Rs180,000.— A Reporter