Police officials booked

KARAK, Dec 23: A case was registered against four police officials in the murder case of Alamzeb Khattak, brother of alleged gang rape victim Uzma Ayub, in the Takht Nusrati police station on Friday.

Sources said in the light of the inquiry conducted by DIG Idrees Khan into the murder case, DSP Takht Nusrati Mohammad Subhan, SHO Haji Rehman Khattak and SHO Mohammad Akmal and constable Sohail were found guilty for failing to provide security to the slain Alamzeb. All the four police officials have already been arrested.

Meanwhile, a woman was killed when a truck knocked her down at Amberi Kallay Chowk on Indus Highway on Friday.

Police said the wife of Farhat Khan, a former union council nazim, was crossing the road when the truck hit her. She died in hospital. The driver of the truck escaped from the area. —Correspondent

Action against SHO sought

MARDAN, Dec 23: Journalists of Mardan district on Monday demanded action against Shah Mumtaz Khan, the SHO of city police station, for allegedly threatening one of their colleagues over a news story published in an Urdu daily against the said police officer.

The demand was made at an emergency meeting of the Mardan Press Club chaired by its president Latfullah Lutaf.

The meeting condemned inhuman attitude of the SHO towards the journalist Yousaf Khan. They also passed a resolution against highhandedness of the police official.

They said it was the duty of media persons to write against those institutions or persons who were involved in anti-social activities or harming the state as well as the public interests.

They demanded of the DIG Mardan region to conduct an impartial probe in this regard and take action against the erring SHO. —Correspondent

Prisoners released

TIMERGARA, Dec 23: The district and sessions judge/zila qazi, Lower Dir, Islamuddin on Friday released six prisoners of the Timergara jail.

After brief hearing of cases during his visit to the jail, the judge ordered release of Akbar Hussain, Anwar Zeb, Sher Zaman, Salar Khan, Bacha Mohammad and Akhtar Javid, who had been involved in minor cases, the jail sources said.

Sources said dozens of prisoners involved in petty issues had been released from the jail during the last two months, decreasing burden on judiciary.

Meanwhile, the executive district magistrate Noor Wali Khan Wazir, during his visit to the district jail Timergara on Friday, distributed medicines and hygiene kits among women, children and under-age prisoners.

The magistrate also checked various barracks and asked the prisoners about their problems. He also ordered release of four prisoners involved in minor cases. The magistrate also directed the health department to ensure quick and free medical laboratory facilities and medicines to the sick inmates. —Correspondent

Family seeks justice

MANSEHRA, Dec 23: Mohammad Bashir, father of Capt Mohammed Usman Ali, who died in the Nato air strike in Mohmand Agency on Nov 26, has said the family needed justice not compensation.

“We want culprits involved in attack to be taken to justice. The martyrdom of our brave soldiers is a sufficient reward for us and we would never accept compensation for their blood,” said Mohammad Bashir, while speaking at a condolence reference held at Pakistan Scouts Cadet College Batrasi here on Friday.

Usman Ali, who was admitted into the college in seventh grade in year 1999, completed FSc in 2005. His class fellows paid rich tributes to him.

Mr Bashir told journalists he had came to know that Nato and America had offered compensation for the heirs of the fallen soldiers, adding, “I want to make it clear that we would never accept the compensation at any cost except the justice in accordance with the international law.” —Correspondent

House made checkpost

PESHAWAR, Dec 23: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday put on notice the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa home secretary, provincial police officer and other senior officials in a writ petition filed by a trooper of Mohmand Rifles stating that his personal house had been turned into a police post and his family was living in a tent.

A single bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan fixed Feb 2 for next hearing of the case while issuing notice to the respondents.

The petition is filed by Iqbal Shah of Mohmand Rifles presently serving at Quetta.

His counsel stated that the petitioner owned a house at Mathani area on Kohat Road, adding Mr Iqbal had been posted at Quetta and was away from home for around three months. He stated when the petitioner returned he found that his family, including his wife and three children, had been forcibly evicted from their house and a police post had been set up there. —Bureau Report