Nine ‘militants’ arrested

LANDI KOTAL, Feb 2: Nine suspected militants, among them two injured, were arrested by the security forces and huge quantity of explosives was seized after a shootout during a raid at a government compound here on Thursday.

Officials said a raiding party comprising personnel of Khyber Rifles and Khasadar force raided the quarters of teachers of a local degree college and a high school on Thursday morning.

They said inmates of the teachers quarter fired at the forces when they were ordered to surrender. After a brief encounter the forces were able to break into the house and arrested nine suspected militants with two in injured condition.

The arrested men also included the vice principal of government high school, identified as Zahir Khan.

Security officials claimed to have also recovered huge quantity of explosives, including pistols, rocket launchers, jackets, cartridges, communication tools, small gas cylinders and an unregistered car from the vicinity of the building. —Correspondent

Students hold demo

PESHAWAR, Feb 2: The activists of Islami Jamiat Talba (IJT) on Thursday held a protest demonstration against the prolonged military operation and closure of markets due to curfew in the Khyber Agency and demanded early end to the operation.

They were holding banners and placards inscribed with their demands.

The demonstrators were led by Naeem Afridi, nazim of IJT, Government College Peshawar, Usman Afridi and Salman Afridi.

Talking to reporters they said owing to closure of educational institutions the students were facing difficulties. They said that due to unavailability of buses they were compelled to hire taxies on high charges, which they could not afford. They demanded of the provincial government to meet their demand within two days. —Bureau Report

Tankers be allowed on bridge

PESHAWAR, Feb 2: The All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association (APOTOA) has expressed annoyance over the ban on plying of heavy vehicles on the Chakdara bridge over River Swat. They demanded of the government to allow oil tankers in order to supply petroleum products to Chitral, Dir and Bajaur.

Talking to newsmen at the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, President APOTOA Nasir Ali Khan and central secretary information Dost Mohammad Khan said in the past the transporters used to supply 32 ton diesel to these districts but now they were not allowed.

“We have talked to the officials concerned but they are of the opinion that the bridge had got damaged in the last year’s flash floods and cannot sustain such heavy weight,” Mr Nasir quoted the relevant officials as saying.

He said the administration’s point of view was totally wrong and there would be no problem if the vehicles carrying 32 ton oil were allowed to pass on the bridge. —Bureau Report

Unscheduled loadshedding

NOWSHERA, Feb 2: Anjumen-i-Malgeri Zameendaran (AMZ), Nowshera chapter, on Thursday took out a procession and blocked G.T. Road to protest against unscheduled loadshedding.

The protesters marched to Nowshera Press Club where the procession turned into a public meeting. AMZ Nowshera president Rabnawaz Khan and others addressed the gathering.

The growers said that the hours long loadshedding had badly affected their standing crops as they could not operate their tube wells to water the fields.

They said that the farmers would move the Peshawar High Court if the Pesco failed to end the power outages immediately. —Correspondent

World Cancer Day

PESHAWAR, Feb 2: The Khyber Girls Medical College is organising an event on ‘World Cancer Day’ on Saturday to raise awareness about the use of tobacco and put brakes on the emergence of new cases.

The event also aims to invite attention of the government towards putting in place more facilities to cater to the needs of the growing number of patients, according to a press release.

Currently, an estimated 400,000 patients suffering from head, neck, throat, lungs and other types of cancers were being treated while the country recorded 320,000 new cases annually. Though all types of cancers are prevalent in Pakistan, breast cancer among women is the highest worldwide.

Experts would deliver lectures to prove that use of all forms of tobacco was the leading cause of cancer.

The WHO holds the day every year to highlight the ill-affects of tobacco on human’s health and push for implementation of laws to restrict its sale. —Bureau Report

Development projects

KARAK, Feb 2: Provincial Minister for Prisons Mian Nisar Gul has said Rs800 million developmental projects were in progress in his constituency and claimed that with the completion of the projects the basic needs of the people would be resolved.

He was addressing inauguration ceremony of Gurguri-Edal Khel road here on Thursday. He said the road had been completed with Rs2.5 million.

The minister said he had focused on the resolution of drinking water problem and construction of link roads to provide basic facilities to residents of remote areas.

Mr Gul also approved two ponds in Shawa Hindokashh area for the preservation of rainwater for wildlife. He resolved that underdeveloped areas would be brought at par with the developed areas and claimed that developmental funds would be distributed judiciously.

The minister informed that Rs600 million had been given to Karak by the provincial government from the oil and gas royalty in the current year. —Correspondent

Interfaith harmony

PESHAWAR, Feb 2: Representatives of different religious communities at a seminar on Thursday stressed the need of maintaining interfaith harmony, accommodating each other and making efforts for restoration of sustainable peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The seminar titled “rights of minorities” was arranged by the Auqaf department, where provincial Minister for Auqaf, Haj, Religious and Minorities Affairs Nimroz Khan was chief guest.

The speakers said though it was duty of the government to protect rights of the minorities and provide them facilities but the people belonging to different communities should also create harmony to live with peace and love.

The provincial minister said Islam was a complete code of life which had guaranteed the rights of minorities. He said all the religions were teaching almost in the same manner, but the problems had been created due to contradictions in the words and deeds of the people.

Mr Khan said that the provincial government had doubled the annual budget for minorities from Rs13.63 million in 2007-08 to Rs40 million. —Bureau Report