Missing couple found buried

CHAKWAL, Feb 10: Bodies of a couple were found buried in a house in Sabazer village, police said on Friday.

Farzand Ali and his wife Syeda Fatima, residents of Pirwadhai area had been missing for the last four months.

According to Dhudial police, four months ago, Farzand Ali and his wife were invited by his nephew Khalid Mehmood to visit his house in Sabazer village. As the couple reached there, Khalid Mehmood with the help of his wife Sumaira Bibi and brother Kamran Masood strangled them and buried the couple in the courtyard of his house.

Zarina Bibi, mother of Farzand Ali, did her best to lodge a complaint with Pirwadhai police station but to no avail.

At last she contacted Dhudial police station. Acting on her complaint, a police party led by SHO Ch Mohammad Ashraf raided the house of Khalid Mehmood who, during preliminary interrogation, confessed to killing the couple. Later, the police exhumed the bodies and arrested the accused. — Correspondent

Fulbright programme

ISLAMABAD, Feb 10: Deputy Chief of Mission at the US embassy Ambassador Richard Hoagland on Friday said that Pakistan had the largest Fulbright programme in the world.

He was speaking at the launching ceremony of 2013 Fulbright programme from the platform of United States Educational Foundation, Pakistan (USEFP) here on Friday.

“Our agreement initiating the programme was signed on September 23, 1950 – and the first Pakistanis and Americans traveled each way in the same year,” he said, adding, “It was one of the very first agreements of its kind and has since been extended to 155 countries around the world.”

The US Government’s flagship scholarship programme awarded Pakistani students full scholarships covering tuition, textbooks, airfare, a stipend, and health insurance to complete their Master’s or PhD degrees in a field of their choice in universities across the United States. — Staff Reporter

Problems of Hindus

RAWALPINDI, Feb 10: The officials of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) on Friday held meeting with Hindu Community to solve the issue of Temple and Shamshanghat on Tipu Road.

ETPB Additional Secretary Zahid Bukhari and Deputy Secretary Azhar Sulheri visited Krishna Mandir at Saddar and assured representatives of Hindu Community of the garrison city that they would solve the issue soon. They said that the ETPB was trying to provide maximum facilities to the minorities.

They also inspected the development work at Krishna Mandir and asked the contractor to improve the tube well and other facilities for the worshippers. Pakistan Hindu-Sikh Welfare Council chairman Jag Mohan Arora said that ETPB should get the lessees vacated from the Temple site.

He said that the Hindu community was waiting for the response of the ETPB on the issue. “If it failed to evict the businessmen from the worship place they would move Supreme Court for their rights,” he said. — A Reporter

Vehicle lifters’ gang busted

TAXILA, Feb 10: The Wah Saddar Police on Friday claimed to have busted the alleged leader of a vehicle lifters’ gang besides recovery of four stolen vehicles from his possession.

Sub divisional Police officer DSP Raja Taifoor Akhter while addressing a press conference here said taking serious note of the increasing number of incidents of car lifting in Wah Cantt and its surrounding areas, a team under supervision of Inspector Mohammad Khan, SHO Wah Saddar Police Station was formed which busted a gang of vehicle lifters along with its ring leader Azhar Hussain and recovered 4 cars lifted from different parts of the city from their possession.

The DSP Akhter revealed the names of other car lifters as Safeer Ahmed and Amjad Hussain, “who are still at large”.  He said police recovered three cars bearing numbers BRG-293, RLC-1582, FDL-4612 respectively besides a tempered car. — Correspondent

3,000 study centres

ISLAMABAD, Feb 10: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has decided to open around 3,000 study centres throughout the country as part of rural internet school education programme.

AIOU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi said this on Friday while talking to Dawn. He said initially, a model study center at Umarkot campus, some 400 kilometers away from Hyderabad had been started.

He said model study centre would help combat illiteracy, poverty, unemployment and backwardness in the region. He said university would soon start PhD programme in the field of computer sciences. He said it had been decided to interconnect rural and urban centers through video conferencing to ensure equal facilities for rural students. — A Reporter

Trade with Czech Republic

RAWALPINDI, Feb 10: Ambassador of Czech Republic Miroslov Krenek on Friday said that his country was eager to enhance trade relations with Pakistan and have already invested in two energy projects of 250 MW.

“Czech Republic can assist Pakistan in engineering and electronics sectors to further enhance the bilateral trade relations,” he stated this during his visit to RCCI offices.

RCCI President Jawed Akhtar Bhatti, Senior Vice President Raja Amer Iqbal, Vice President Chudhary Iqbal Ahmed and other members of the Chambers were also present on the occasion.

The envoy said that Pakistan was a safe place for the foreign investors. He said that Czech Republic was one of few countries in the European Union who has remarkable trade volume of $42.5 million with Pakistan. — A Reporter

AJK’s public sector varsity

MUZAFFARABAD, Feb 10: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has issued its No Objection Certificate (NOC) for conversion of AJK University’s Faculty of Agriculture into a separate varsity.

The university’s press release stated that a team, after thorough inspection, had reported back to the HEC that its faculty fulfilled conditions and requirements for conversion into an independent university. In the light of the report, Chairman issued the NOC for the charter of AJK’s third public sector highest seat of learning, to be named as “the University of Poonch, Rawalakot”. The press release said that currently around 1,500 male and female students were enrolled in the faculty and the number was likely to increase. Among the teaching staff, 26 were having PhD degrees, it added. — Staff Reporter

PTI’s labour wing

CHAKWAL, Feb 10: Office-bearers of newly-formed labour wing of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) were nominated on Friday by the district chapter of the party.

According to details, Syed Asad Ali was appointed as district president while Malik Ghulam Hur was given the slot of senior vice president. Such as, Malik Mohammad Shair Awan, Chan Pir Shah and Mehbub Khan were appointed as vice presidents. Speaking on the occasion, Asad Ali Shah said his wing would make all-out efforts for the betterment of the labourers. — Correspondent