School closed

TAXILA, Sept 26: The Punjab education department has ordered closure of a private school after alleged corporal punishment by its head teacher claimed a student’s life.

A few months back, one day, Maqsoodur Rehman, a grade five student at a local private school, came to school without doing home work, which annoyed head teacher and he slapped his face hard.   The student could not withstand the force of the slap and fell and his head smashed with the desk and he fainted. He was rushed to a local hospital where he died on August 14 after remaining there for nearly two months.

The boy had earlier lost his parents in October 2005 earthquake in Azad Kashmir and was living with his other relatives in Machahr Colony.

After the tragic story of the boy was published in Dawn, the education department sent a two-member fact finding team to the school which confirmed the incident.

When contacted, Deputy District officer Amjad Mehmood confirmed that he had received orders for closure of the school. He said the school was not registered with education department. The medical board on the orders of the local court has also exhumed the body of the boy on September 13 to ascertain the reasons behind his death. —Correspondent

Case adjourned

RAWALPINDI, Sept 26: An anti-terrorism court on Monday adjourned hearing into the killing of a Rangers personnel during the Lal Masjid operation till October 4.

As many as 21 persons, including Lal Masjid Khateeb Maulana Abdul Aziz, Ume Ehsan, Tayyaba Dua, Humaira Ghazi and Maulana Abdul Qayyum, were accused in the case.The court could not record the statement of an accused who had been released on bail due to absence of prosecution.

Sartaj, the father of Mujibur Rehman, filed an application with the court stating his son was kidnapped by some unknown people and the Nowshera police had registered the case.

The ATC-1 Judge Shahid Raffique directed the Nowshera police to submit record on the next date of hearing.

The Aabpara police registered the case on July 7, 2007, claiming about 1,000 armed people came out of the mosque and attacked police and Rangers personnel, killing Lance Naik Mubarak Hussain.  Maulana Abdul Aziz was granted bail in the case in 2007. —A Reporter

NBP branch goes online

FATEHJANG, Sept 26: National Bank of Pakistan’s Fatehjang branch has been connected with the online system.

Manager of the branch, Sardar Mohammad Ali told Dawn that the online system would bring a good change in the working of the bank.

He said they were providing better services to the people of the area. He said the bank had also opened a separate counter for pensioners. —Correspondent

House looted

TAXILA, Sept 26: A gang of outlaws looted a house in Saadat Colony in limits of Wah Saddar police station.

Mohammad Rafeeq while lodging report with police said that three masked men scaled the wall of his house and locking them in a room. They fled away with cash, gold ornaments and other valuables worth Rs0.5 million. Police have registered a case and started investigation. —Correspondent