Kaghan Festival from today

MANSEHRA, June 23: All is set for the three-day Kaghan Festival beginning from Friday in the scenic Naran Valley.

The snow-clad mountains and serene lakes are ready to welcome the tourists in the Kaghan valley, a tourism department official said.

The event is being organised by the Tourism Corporation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to highlight the soft image of the province amid the ongoing militancy and revive tourism in the area, he said.

The festival includes trout fishing, river rafting, mountain bike race, rock climbing, cultural show, paragliding, local dance, fireworks, volleyball, folk music and display of handicrafts. “This is a perfect getaway from hot summers,” the official said. Provincial ministers Syed Ahmad Hussain and Syed Aqil Shah are expected to inaugurate the event in Naran. — Correspondent

Mass marriage

NOWSHERA, June 23: Allama Banuri Trust Association, Karachi, arranged here on Thursday mass marriage of 134 couples belonging to the flood-affected areas of Nowshera and Charsadda.

The ceremony was held in the Manikhel Cricket Ground in Nowshera Kalan. Prominent among the participants were Maulana Sher Ali Shah, Maulana Mujahid Hussain, Mufti Kifayatullah and others.

Addressing the gathering, they said that charity and social work were first started by Muslims. Historically, different social welfare departments were established in Muslim counties when Europeans were living in Dark Ages, they added.

Mufti Kifayatullah strongly criticised the foreign NGOs and said that they were supporting the Muslims in need but on cause changing of their faith. He said they were not accept such foreign aid. — Correspondent

Fish hatchery

KOHAT, June 23: The Tanda Dam Hatchery Farm will provide juvenile fish to Dera Ismail Khan farmers for the first time this year.

The district officer fisheries, Mohammad Ilyas Khattak, told district coordination officer Shahidullah during visit to the hatchery here on Thursday that 1.3 million eggs of fish were hatched at the facility every year.

Gandali Dam, Khadar Dam, Darwezgai Dam and Sanda Fateh Khan Dam were provided 300,000 small fish while 300,000 were released in Tanda Dam every year. The rest were sold to private fish farms and also sent to Hangu, Karak and Bannu.

The DCO was accompanied by district officer livestock, Jan Mir, research officer fisheries, Asghar Afridi and water management officer Farman Afridi. — Correspondent

Abaseen Division

MANSEHRA, June 23: Former MPA Zargul Khan has said that if Torghar was not made headquarters of the proposed Abaseen Division, the local people would opt to remain in Hazara Division.

Speaking at a press conference in Oghi on Thursday, he said that if Kohistan or Battagram were made headquarters of the new division, the people of Torghar would never accept it.Mr Khan said that he was not against the creation of Abaseen Division but the government should consider betterment of Torghar people who were kept deprived of their basic rights since creation of the country.

He said that government should expedite setting up of offices to start execution of developmental. — Correspondent

Suspects held, arms seized

KOHAT, June 23: The police arrested 62 suspects and seized arms from their possession during search operations in various parts of the district here on Thursday.

The search operation was conducted in the jurisdictions of Cantt, City, Jungle Khel, Jarma, Bilitang, Mohammad Riaz Shaheed, Lachi and Shakardarra areas.

The suspects included 39 wanted gangsters. The seizure included six Kalashnikovs, two repeaters, four shotguns, three rifles, seven pistols, 2kg hashish and 400 cartridges.

In a statement issued here, district police officer Mubarak Zeb said that nobody would be allowed to challenge the writ of the government and harass people. — Correspondent

Development schemes

PESHAWAR, June 23: Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has said that more than 400 schemes will be completed in the next financial year.

He said that the people would benefit from the enhanced facilities in all sectors including education, health, communication and clean drinking water.

He was speaking at a farewell dinner arranged in the honour of secretary C&W Engineer Habib Ali on the occasion of his retirement.

Mr Hoti recalled that the volume of Annual Development Programme in 2007-08 was Rs30 billion while the ADP for the year 2011-12 would be Rs85 billion. He said that the performance and capacity of C&W and public health engineering departments had improved after works and services department was bifurcated. — Bureau Report

Action against extortionists

PESHAWAR, June 23: Transporters have appreciated the efforts of the provincial government against the extortionists and for protection of the state land at different bus stands and assured their full support in this regard.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, Sarhad Transport Owners Federation leader Haji Ihsanullah Khan said that the contractors were collecting millions of rupees from them by were not ready to provide different facilities at the bus stand.

He alleged that the former local council bodies were fully involved in misappropriation of official funds and encouraging mafias in the bus terminals.

He said that credit went to Provincial Transport Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain who saved the Peshawar bus terminal by handing it over to the department. — Bureau Report

Recovery of property tax

PESHAWAR June, 23: The provincial government has started recovery of property tax from the Karkhano Market and recovered up to Rs8 million outstanding amount from industrialists, traders and property owners, said Excise and Taxation Minister Liaquat Shabab here on Thursday.

The minister told APP that the excise and taxation department would meet the Rs11million target set for collection from the market by June 30.

The government is committed to streamline the process of tax collection, he said. And added that a high level committee had been constituted comprising officials of excise and taxation department and traders of the market to devise a plan for payment of outstanding dues.

In last 30 years, it was the first time when property owners of Karkhano Market had been brought under the tax net, the minister said. — APP