Two shot dead

MARDAN, June 13: A teenaged boy and a woman were shot dead by unidentified armed men near the Jaani Banda graveyard here on Monday in the limits of Rustam police station.

The police said they were informed by a resident of the concerned area through a phone call that two bodies were lying in the fields located near the Jaani Banda graveyard. The victims were identified as Manzoor Gul, 17, and Shahzia, 24.

The police registered FIR against unknown killers on the complaint of the woman’s cousin Saqib Ali. The complainant did not mention any reason for the double murder incident in his report. However, it was said it was a case of honour killing as the woman had fled with the boy without consent of her family. — Correspondent

Minors drown

KARAK, June 13: Two children drowned in Barani pond in Shaheedan area of Chountra on Monday.

Police and eyewitnesses told this scribe Mohammad Arif, 7, of Shaheedan and Rizwan, 7, of Teerah, drowned in the Barani pond while taking a dip. Local divers fished their bodies out. Both the children were the students of 1st class.— Correspondent

Man dies on road

MANSEHRA, June 13: A speeding van struck and killed a man here on Monday, police said.

They said Khurshid Khan was going home on his cycle on Karakorum Highway that a speeding van struck him killing him on the spot. The driver fled the scene.

The body was handed over to relatives after autopsy at King Abdullah Teaching Hospital.— Correspondent

UNHCR operations

KOHAT, June 13: The commissioner Kohat division has assured the UNHCR of providing security to its operations in the region especially welfare works and repatriation of IDPs.

The commissioner Sahibzada Muhammad Anees was talking to the head of the UNHCR mission, Peshawar office, Mr Warsame who called on him here on Monday.

The DIG, Kohat region, Mohammad Masood Afridi, DCO Shahidullah Khan and DCO, Hangu, Adil Siddique, also attended the meeting. They assured the UNHCR representative of providing security to its operations.— Correspondent

Shops gutted

MARDAN, June 13: Two shops were gutted in Khwaja Ganj bazaar in the small hours on Monday, eyewitnesses and police said.

They said the fire was caused by short circuiting in one of the shop which engulfed the adjacent shop within minutes. The locals rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire.

Haji Abdul Malik, the owner of the shops, said the gutted goods were worth millions of rupees.— Correspondent

Lasting peace

KOHAT, June 13: The commissioner Kohat division has called upon Hangu Sunni Supreme Council to solve all issues through dialogue to help establish lasting peace in the region.

Talking to a delegation of the council at his office on Monday which was led by Khalid Nawaz Farooqui, the commissioner, Sahibzada Mohammad Anees said permanent peace was only possible through collective and sincere efforts.

He asked the delegation to keep close coordination with the government and inculcate tolerance among them. The meeting was also attended by the Hangu DCO Adil Siddque. —Correspondent

Probe report

ABBOTTABAD, June 13: Khalid Khan Umerzai, commissioner Hazara, has said committee constituted to probe the cause of fire in “General Mohafiz Khana” will complete its report in ten days, which will be made public.

This he said while addressing a function organised by the press club and Abbottabad Union of Journalist in his honour on Monday.

DIG Hazara D Mohammad Naeem Khan, DCO Abbottabad Syed Zaheeer-ul-Islam and others were also present.

Mr Umerzai said a suitable site for building the media colony would be selected after consultations with media persons. He also hoped the government would release Rs8.6 million for improving the press club building. He announced Rs200,000 for press club.—Correspondent

Mineral potential

PESHAWAR, June 13: The Governor Barrister Masood Kausar on Monday directed the Fata Development Authority to expedite work on mineral related projects in the tribal area.

Presiding over a meeting here on Monday he also urged close linkages with other related organisations and institutions particularly the PCSIR Laboratories to get more appropriate and authentic technical support, according to a handout. Attaullah Khan, CE FDA, Fazal Karim Khattak, additional chief secretary Fata, Liaqat Ali, DG PCSIR Laboratories, and other officials attended the presentation.

The governor stressed that the mineral potential in Fata must be properly publicised to attract the investors to exploit these resources for economic development of the region.—Bureau Report

NAB probes

PESHAWAR, June 13: A meeting of the executive board of NAB, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was held on Monday with its DG Brig (retd) Mohammad Musaddiq Abbasi in the chair.

The board authorised two inquiries against officials of Fata Rural Development Project (FRDP) and administration department.

A statement said before authorising the inquiries, complaints received against both the organisations were properly probed by the Combined Investigation Team and material evidences collected.

The complainants had alleged FRDP had used substandard material in various water supply schemes and left some other schemes incomplete in tribal areas.—Bureau Report

Judicial inquiry

PESHAWAR, June 13: Former MNA and JI, Fata amir, Sahibzada Haroon Rashid, has urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of what he described extrajudicial killings and collateral damages caused due to operations in Fata.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar press club on Monday, he said the government’s prime responsibility was to protect lives and properties of the people, but the people in Fata were treated as they were not its residents.

“The entire Fata is evident that those killed in the military operations are innocent,” he said, adding, majority of the victims were women, children and aged people.He said media had no access to the information in tribal regions and thus could not report the tragic incidents.—Bureau Report