Dual murder

CHAKWAL, Jan 27: Two men were gunned down over old feud, police said on Friday.

Ghulam Shabbir, a resident of Ransial village told Kallar Kahar Police that he along with his brother-in-law Haji Mohammad Ashraf and Mohammad Bakhsh were coming back home from Miani when they were ambushed by Tahir Abbas who was accompanied by six other accomplices.

The ambushers who were armed with pistols and guns opened indiscriminate fire at them.

Resultantly, Haji Mohammad Ashraf and Mohammad Bakhsh died at the spot. Police have registered a case against the seven accused and started raiding different places to arrest them. Police said that the old enmity caused dual murder. — Correspondent

Boy commits suicide

CHAKWAL, Jan 27: A teenager committed suicide by taking poisonous pills, sources told Dawn on Friday.

Bilal Hussain 17, a resident of Bheen village, had got a skirmish with his friends on Friday morning. After that he rushed home where he took poisonous pills meant to preserve wheat. Bilal was rushed to the DHQ hospital from where he was referred to Rawalpindi due to his critical condition but to no avail. — Correspondent

smugglers, swindlers held

TAXILA, Jan 27: Police on Friday claimed to have arrested two drug smugglers and busted a gang of female swindlers.

Talking to newsmen, Sub Divisional Police Officer DSP Raja Taifour Akhter said that during checking of public transport vehicles on GT Road, police arrested Naeem Shah and Motti Ram after recovering 2kg charas and 1.5kg heroin from them.

While in another incident, a police party arrested a three-member gang of female swindlers belonging to a nomad family. He said female swindlers identified as Perveen, Nasreen and Noreen used to enter the houses on the pretext of drinking water at a time when male members were not at home.

He said they held the household women hostage by showing daggers and looted cash, gold ornaments and other valuables. Police recovered looted items and copper wire from their possession. — Correspondent

Medicos awarded degrees

ISLAMABAD, Jan 27: Upon completion of MBBS and BDS courses, as many as 175 graduates of the Army Medical College, a constituent college of National University of Sciences and Technology ( NUST), received degrees in convocation held here on Friday.

Out of 175 fresh graduates, 144 were conferred the MBBS degree, while the remaining 31 received their degrees in the discipline of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman was the chief guest and awarded degrees to the successful students.

The chief guest said the professional knowledge and training acquired by the young medicos would help them play a vital role in alleviating health problems and serve mankind. — A Reporter

Shehbaz Sharif lambasted

RAWALPINDI, Jan 27: Local chapter of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Friday lambasted Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif for his statement about President Asif Zardari and sought action against him under article 6 of the Constitution.

The CM, in his interview with a private television channel, had said that he did not accept Zardari as President and used ‘derogatory’ language against him.

In a statement issued here former MPA Amir Fida Paracha and other party leaders regretted that CM was not ready to accept an elected President and it was synonymous to undermining Constitution and the Parliament.

Secretary General Khalid Raja said Shehbaz Sharif was diverting public attention from the issue of ‘poisonous’ medicines in Punjab killing more than 100 people at a time when Health Ministry was looked after by the CM himself after devolution. — Our Reporter

Spurious drugs seized

ISLAMABAD, Jan 27: Two persons were arrested on Friday as Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) recovered huge quantity of spurious drugs from a plaza located in Rehmanabad area of Rawalpindi.

The source said that the FIA officials, acting on a tip-off, raided the plaza and recovered large quantity of spurious medicines including tablets, syrups and injections.

The fake drugs were labeled in the name of local and foreign pharmaceutical companies.

The FIA officials shifted the arrested persons and the recovered medicine to its office for legal action.

The source said the medicines were transported to Rawalpindi from somewhere else to be distributed in the local market. — Staff Reporter