Three killed in Karak

KARAK, June 28: Three persons, a teenage girl and a minor among them, were killed in separate incidents here on Tuesday.

Police said a minor boy was killed when he was hit by a mass of salt while working inside a salt mine. He was identified as Rahmanullah, resident of Bahaderkhel.

A mentally challenged man, Mohammad Almas, resident of Shaheedan Banda, committed suicide by shooting himself with a gun.

A 13-year-old girl, Bibi Shabnam, daughter of Khan Pur, resident of Orbashi Gurguri, died after falling into a pond while fetching water. Her body was fished out by locals.—Correspondent

Man kills brother

HARIPUR, June 28: A man murdered his brother over a property dispute in the jurisdiction of Khalabat Township police on Tuesday. Police quoted Mohammad Daud as saying there was a dispute between his two sons Mohammad Iqbal and Mohammad Sultan over the distribution of land.

On Tuesday afternoon Mohammad Iqbal was trimming a tree in the disputed land when Muhammad Sultan came there and opened fire at Iqbal with a 12-bore shotgun injuring him critically. The injured died in hospital.

Meanwhile, the police arrested a narcotics trafficker identified as Abdul Khalq of Gandaf village from a boat while smuggling opium worth Rs250,000 from Amazai area to Haripur.—Correspondent

Widow seeks justice

PESHAWAR, June 28: A widow, Zari Marjana of Takht Nusrati, Karak, has accused her brother-in-law, Asil Badshah, of illegally transferring her land to his name.

While speaking at a press conference at Peshawar press club on Tuesday, she said killers of her husband in 2001 had given a 25-kanal piece of land as compensation but her opponents were trying to take it back.

She said her brother-in-law had taken hers and her daughter’s fingerprints on a paper with the promise to give us money from the zakat fund but he deceitfully transferred her land. She demanded legal action against him.—Bureau Report

Property tax

PESHAWAR, June 28: The Cantonment Board Peshawar will not increase the rates of property tax for next year.A statement issued by Markazi Tanzeem-i-Tajiran, Peshawar Cantonment said the decision of not raising the property tax had been taken in line with the directives of the Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-Gen Asif Yaseen Malik.

A delegation of the traders’ body had called on the commander, requesting him not to increase the property tax at intended ratio of 30 per cent mainly because the business community of Saddar area was facing financial problems because of militancy and law and order situation. The Peshawar district government had already done so.—Bureau Report

Multiple visas

PESHAWAR, June 28: The Afghan government will issue multiple visas to Pakistani businessmen besides facilitating the exchange of trade delegations between the two countries.

Syed Mohammad Ibrahim Khal, the Peshawar-based Afghan Counsel General, gave this assurance to the business community at a meeting held at Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday. The SCCI president Usman Bashir Bilour and other office-bearers were present, said a press release.

The SCCI president apprised the Afghan diplomat that the businessmen from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were playing pivotal role in trade with Afghanistan. However, he complained they were facing problems with the issuance of visas from the Afghan government.—Bureau Report

Vegetable market

MANSEHRA, June 28: The decision by the secretary, Local Council Board, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Attaullah Khan, to shift the fruit and vegetable market in Mansehra city to another site owned by an influential man would cost Rs50 million to the national exchequer.

Attaullah Khan, through a notification issued the other day, had asked the fruit and vegetable wholesalers to shift their businesses to Chinar road market from the Pano road market.

A trader of the old market said some influential people were hand in glove with the TMA to shift the old vegetable market to the new site.—Correspondent

Foreigners’ registration

TIMERGARA, June 28: The Lower Dir administration on Tuesday directed all police stations to collect information and register all foreigners and people belonging to other districts.

Talking to journalists here the executive magistrate, Noor Wali Khan Afridi, said directives in this regard had been issued to all police stations in the district.

He said all the foreigners and people belonging to other districts should register themselves with police stations concerned.

Similarly, owners of the houses for rent, he said, had also been directed to inform police stations before allowing someone to stay in their houses. The police should complete the process within a week, he said.—Correspondent

Journalists’ complaints

PESHAWAR, June 28: Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti while taking notice of the complaints regarding police attitude towards journalists, directed the authorities concerned to submit a report in this regard.

He also directed the IGP Fiaz Ahmed Turo and CCPO Peshawar Liaquat Khan to facilitate the journalists’ community and representatives of electronic media while performing their professional duties.

He issued these directives after Khyber Union of Journalists and other senior media personnel put forward a memorandum drawing the attention of the CM to the inappropriate attitude of the police towards them.—Bureau Report

Inflated power bills

KOHAT, June 28: The Pesco consumers belonging to Togh Bala town will not pay their inflated electricity bills which they have been sent for last two months.

A meeting of the Togh welfare committee on Tuesday condemned the Pesco for sending inflated bills to them. The meeting said Pesco had been asked several times that they had been receiving bills with exaggerated units, but nothing had been done so far.

They also claimed the Pesco staff was not rectifying faulty meters.

They vowed not to pay the bills unless these were righted and new meters were installed.—Corresponden