Guards fire at police party

ISLAMABAD, Nov 3: The security guards deployed at a house, where an attempted murder accused was reportedly hiding, opened fire at the police party which came there to arrest the wanted outlaw on Thursday night.

The police sources said the Margalla police officials along with the personnel of Chamkani police station, Peshawar raided a house at Kaghan Road in F-8 to arrest an attempted murder accused. Seeing the policemen at the gate of the house, the security guards opened fire at them. One of the guards ran inside the house while the other remained at the gate. Fortunately, no one from the police party was injured in the incident. Later, the police captured the guard who was at the gate and shifted him to Margalla police station for further legal action. — Staff Reporter

Yellow cabs

RAWALPINDI, Nov 3: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif will hand over the keys of 94 yellow cabs to the successful applicants here on Saturday.

The provincial government has allocated 810 yellow cabs for the educated unemployed youth in Rawalpindi.

The chief minister had to distribute the keys among the successful applicants on October 21 but the government failed to arrange the yellow cabs on time and the ceremony was postponed on the pretext of unavailability of time.

The PML-N sources said after the increase in political temperature in the Punjab, the provincial government had decided to start the scheme on a war footing. They said the government arranged 94 yellow cabs to distribute among the applicants to help the party mobilise the youngsters for its proposed public meeting in Rawalpindi after Eidul Azha.

When contacted, District Coordination Officer Saqib Zafar said the city government would arrange the ceremony at Rawalpindi Arts Council auditorium.

He said 60 yellow cabs would be distributed among the applicants belonging to the city areas and 34 among the applicants from seven tehsils of the district. The applicants would also be imparted 15-day training at NLC driving school at Dina, he added.— A Reporter

Compensation

RAWALPINDI, Nov 3: The family of only dengue victim in Rawalpindi would receive Rs500,000 after Eidul Azha, said Executive District Health Officer Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal while talking to Dawn.

He said that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had announced a compensation of Rs500,000 for the families of the dengue victims and the district health department Rawalpindi had recommended the family for compensation.

He said Mohammad Babar, 35, a resident of Shakrial, died at Holy Family Hospital on October 5 and National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed his death from dengue on October 10.

He said that total two deaths occurred in the garrison city. Amir Hussain, 52 also died at the same hospital on August 12.

“Since he belonged to Nowshera, so we did not include him in the list of Rawalpindi city,” said Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal.

He said that the health department included those patients in their list who were residents of the city. He said that so far 495 patients were tested positive for dengue and except for one all other patients were sent home after providing proper treatment.

On the other hand, Rawalpindi Medical College (RMC) focal person Dr Javed Hayat told Dawn that total 2379 patients visited three government run hospitals during two months and 674 patients were tested positive for dengue virus.— A Reporter

Revival of BHUs hailed

RAWALPINDI, Nov 3: Traders union in Rawalpindi have welcomed the rehabilitation of 10 basic health units (BHUs) in the city adding it would provide health services to people at their doorsteps.

The dispensaries had earlier no OPDs, maternity and childcare centers but now the facilities have been extended to the BHUs drawing applause from the traders community who nearly always criticized the government on issues.

President Anjuman-e-Tajiran Rawalpindi Zahid Bakhtawari in a statement issued here said that the traders would help government in welfare projects and would appreciate for positive activities adding that the politicians must concentrate on public welfare projects instead of indulging in non-issues.— Our Reporter