NEWS IN BRIEF

Published July 15, 2011

Hashish seized

KOHAT, July 15: The excise and taxation staff on Friday seized hashish wroth millions of rupees, which was being smuggled from tribal area to Rawalpindi. The smugglers managed to flee from the scene.

The excise and taxation officer, Kohat, said they had information that an inter-provincial gang of smugglers was carrying hashish in a vehicle from tribal Orakzai Agency to Punjab.

He said a special team established a temporary checkpost which started checking of suspicious vehicles coming from Hangu to Kohat.

The team signaled a wagon number Peshawar-C-4987 to stop which instead sped away towards Peshawar bypass.

The vehicle was chased and after sometime it was found abandoned near Gulshanabad. Upon checking the secret pockets of the vehicle 80 kilograms of hashish was recovered which was handed over to KDA police. —Correspondent

Floods destroy crops

CHITRAL, July 15: Flash floods triggered by torrential rains swept away hundreds of acres of maize and rice crops and fruit trees in Doamil valley of Arandu union council on Friday.

An official at Arandu police station told Dawn that though no loss of human life had been reported the damage to the crops and trees had been widespread.

He said the floods had blocked the road leading to the border village of Arandu while the road inside the Doamil valley from the main road to Aspar and Lachigram had been swept away. —Correspondent

Man drowns

HARIPUR, July 15: Body of a middle aged man who drowned in the Khanpur dam was spotted near Darra village, police said on Friday.

The Khanpur police said the people informed them about spotting a body of a middle aged man floating in the water of Khanpur dam near Darra Dada Shaheed village.

The police fished out the body with the help of local divers and took it to tehsil headquarter hospital Khanpur where doctors confirmed that the man died due to drowning some three days back.

The deceased was later identified as Siddique, 32, son of Ghulam Mohammad Khan of Kohala Paeen village. —Correspondent

Visit postponed

PESHAWAR, July 15: The leadership of Awami National Party, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan chapters, has barred provincial Minister for Information and Transport, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, from visiting Quetta due to security reasons.

According to a handout issued here on Friday, Mr Hussain was supposed to attend a function organised by Pakhtun Students Federation at Quetta today (Saturday).

His proposed visit was cancelled after consultation between Afrasiab Khattak, provincial President Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Zahir Kansi, ANP Balochistan chapter president. The new dates of his visit will be announced later on. —Bureau Report

Suspected Taliban held

NOWSHERA, July 15: The security forces in a pre-dawn raid on Friday arrested a suspected person from Pabbi, some 15 kilometers from Peshawar, on charges of having links with outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Police confirmed that a team of security personnel raided the house of Ahmed Ustad in Spin Khak village near Pabbi and arrested his son Baser Ahmed.

Sources said that Baser Ahmad had links with Taliban and was involved in several terrorist activities. The detained man was the student of Darul Ulam-i-Haqqania, Akora Khattak. —Correspondent

Free medical camps

PESHAWAR July 15: Special medical camps and mobile hospitals, under aegis of directorate Fata health services were held at Parachinar and Sadda in Kurram Agency where specialist doctors treated IDP patients free of cost.

According to a press released by Fata health services on Friday, a seven-day medical camp held at Parachinar provided the tribal people, dislocated due to military operation against militants in Kurram, free counseling, treatment and operation facilities.

Major cases were referred to agency's headquarters hospital Kurram and Peshawar. A similar camp was also held at Sadda where IDPs were provided free medicines and treatment.

Programme Manager Dr Niaz Afridi supervised the camps and mobile hospital at Sadda.—APP

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