Flood protection

MARDAN, June 1: Emergency control centres will be established at the divisional and district level for flood protection ahead of the coming monsoon season.

In this regard, a meeting was held here on Wednesday which was presided over by Commissioner Mohammad Adil Khan and attended by DIG Abdullah Khan, DCO Mardan Syed Mohammad Shah, DCO Swabi Abdul Jabar Shah, Superintending Engineer Irrigation Ata-ur-Rehman and other officials of concerned departments of Mardan and Swabi districts.

The meeting reviewed the damage and destruction caused by the last year’s devastating flood in different areas of the province and called for making of a comprehensive protective plan before the upcoming monsoon. —Correspondent

Lowari tunnel

PESHAWAR, June 1: Residents of different localities of Chitral district held a protest demonstration here on Wednesday against the delay in completion of Lowari tunnel and demanded of the government to allocate funds for the mega project.

The demonstrators were holding banners and placards inscribed with demands for allocation of sufficient funds in the budget. They were also shouting anti-government slogans for not paying serious attention to the issue.

Talking to media persons, former MNA and leader of Jamaat-i-Islami said that the government was supposed to complete the project in 2010 but it was delayed due to lack of funds.He said that it was basically a project of Rs8 billion but due to the delay the estimated cost had reached Rs23 billion. — Bureau Report

Bara IDPs

NOWSHERA, June 1. The hunger strike of internally displaced persons from Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency continued at the Jalozai camp here on Wednesday.

“We are demanding food ration, tents and a proper place in the camp,” said the protesters while talking to Dawn on Wednesday.

An official of UNHCR, Bashir Khan, when contacted, said that the World Food Programme had stopped food assistance to the IDPs and instead was providing cash to them. He said that food distribution was stopped because repatriation of IDPs from Bajaur and Mohmand Agencies had started.

He added that repatriation of IDPs from these agencies would be completed till June 7 and after that the demands of Bara IDPs would be fulfilled immediately. —Correspondent

Women teachers’ transfer

HARIPUR, June 1: An all parties conference of religious parties here on Wednesday warned the executive district officer education of a protest campaign if the decision of transfer of over 100 women teachers was not reversed.

The APC was attended by the district heads of JUI-Nazriati Group, JUP, JUI-F and Jamiat Ahle Hadith and was called to discuss the recent order of executive district officer education Haripur Mohammad Riaz Swati who cancelled the transfer orders of over 100 women teachers of primary and middle schools asking them to report at the schools where they were previously posted.

The religious parties while criticising the decision said that it had disturbed over 100 families and added that it would also affect their professional responsibilities if they were forced to report to their schools of original posting. —Correspondent

Student recovered

PESHAWAR, June 1: Police recovered here on Wednesday a grade-6 student kidnapped from Lahore for ransom.

A police spokesman said that the student, Umair of Shad Bagh Colony, Lahore had been kidnapped a few days back and brought to Jamrud (Khyber Agency). The captors were demanding a ransom of Rs50 million for his release.

The student was later shifted to a bungalow in Hayabad, Peshawar. The official said that the boy’s friends including Zeeshan, Jalil and Ishfaq were involved in his kidnapping. He said that police on a tip-off raided the bungalow and recovered the teenager and arrested Abdul Basit, Abdullah, Abdul Waheed and Sajid Ali.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IGP Fiaz Ahmed Toru awarded the policemen who had recovered the student. — Bureau Report

Teachers rejoin faculty

MANSEHRA, June 1: Two more PhDs have rejoined the faculty of mathematics of Hazara University on their return from abroad on Wednesday.

A ceremony was held at the university to welcome back Dr Abdul Wahab and Dr Mohammad Shahzad after completion of their research studies abroad. Vice-chancellor Dr Syed Sakhawat Shah, faculty members and students attended the ceremony. — Correspondent

Hazara Expressway

HARIPUR, June 1: Chairman National Assembly’s standing committee on communication Mohammad Safdar Awan has said that the work on a new section of Hazara Expressway was likely to start during the coming fiscal year as the land acquisition process was aboutto be completed.

He said this while talking to newsmen here on Wednesday. He disclosed that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had been approached for inauguration of this mega project.

He said Rs4 billion had already been released for acquisition of land for the 105km long Hassanabdal to Mansehra section of the expressway. The total cost of the four-lane highway, according to Mr Awan, was Rs55.672 billion and was being funded by the Asian Development Bank. —Correspondent

Oath-taking ceremony

KARAK, June 1: The newly-elected district cabinet of Khattak Ittehad took oath of their office here on Wednesday.

The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Town Hall which was attended besides others by MPAs Mian Nisar Gul and Malik Qasim Khan and former MNAs Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz and Shamsur Rahman Khattak.

The new president of Khattak Ittehad, Maulana Mir Zaqeem, resolved in his address that KI would serve the Khattak tribe and resolve problems like kidnapping issues and disputes with other tribes. He resolved that KI would work for the development of the district and would force their elected representatives to shun their petty differences in the larger interest of the city. — Correspondent

21 suspects held

MINGORA, June 1: The district police arrested 21 suspects, including a woman, during a search operation launched after the killing of ANP leader Muzaffar Ali Khan in Matta tehsil of Swat district.

Officials said on Wednesday that a special investigation team led by Swat DPO Qazi Ghulam Farooq rounded up 21 people on suspicion of being linked to the incident. Muzaffar Ali Khan had been killed in an attack on his residence in Swat district a few days ago. —Correspondent