VC sent on forced leave

PESHAWAR, March 7: Vice-Chancellor University of Peshawar Prof Dr Azmat Hayat has been reportedly sent on forced leave and dean of Islamic Oriental Studies Dr Qibla Ayaz appointed as acting VC, sources said.

UoP spokesman Akhtar Amin told Dawn that the VC was a heart patient who had taken three weeks leave for treatment and rest. “Obviously when VC goes on leave, someone has to take charge of the office,” he said. Recently, he said, the VC had gone abroad and Mr Ayaz was given acting charge of the office of the VC.

Sources said that there were several other issues between the administration and teaching community of the university which were behind his forced leave. — Bureau Report

Boy dies on road

MANSEHRA, March 7: A minor boy was run over by a speeding bus in city area here on Wednesday.Ali Akbar while lodging FIR with police stated that his daughter-in-law and grandson were crossing the Karakoram Highway when a speeding bus struck his grandson and he died on the spot.

The body of Mohammad Ahmad, 4, was handed over to his family after autopsy carried out at King Abdullah Teaching hospital. The city police have registered a case.

After the incident, residents from both sides of KKH took to streets and demanded of the National Highway Authority to build speed breakers in the city area. They threatened to launch agitation against NIH if concrete steps were not taken to check speeding vehicles. — Correspondent

Suspension bridges

TIMERGARA, March 7: Traders and residents of Khall held a protest rally here on Wednesday on what they claimed the government’s failure to reconstruct two bridges washed away by flash floods 18 months ago. Traders also observed shutter down strike for some time and blocked the Timergara-Chitral road for two hours, residents said. They said that two suspension bridges built by the local community on river Panjkora had been washed away.

“Locals now cross the river through chairlifts as they have no other means,” they complained, adding that local lawmakers and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister had promised them to rebuild the bridges but nothing had been done so far. The protesters gave 10-day deadline to the government to reconstruct the bridges face massive agitation. — Correspondent

Grenades recovered, 3 held

KARAK, March 7: The police arrested three accused and recovered two hand grenades and cartridges from their possession here on Wednesday.

Officials said that police officials stopped three motorcyclists at a roadblock in the Aral Toradam Banda and on search found two hand grenades and live rounds of different bores.

The accused were identified as Aurangzeb, Umer Zada and Abdur Rehman of Aral Toradam Banda. Later, the police produced them in the court of civil judge Karak who sent them to jail.

Meanwhile, the Takht Nusrati police arrested two kidnappers from a house in Sarki Lawagher area. They were allegedly involved in the kidnapping of a married woman from Matta, Swat. — Correspondent

Excessive billing protested

BANNU, March 7: People held a march and staged a sit-in outside the offices of SNGPL here on Wednesday to protest against excessive billing.

The enraged protesters set a 24-hour deadline for the utility to rectify the wrong bills otherwise they would organise a demonstration and forcibly lock the SNGPL offices.

The protesters alleged that the SNGPL had mentioned thousands of rupees extra in bills against a meagre amount of gas actually consumed by them. During the sit-in, the vehicular traffic on the road remained suspended.

Meanwhile, the staff of National Database and Registration Authority observed a token strike and wore black arm bands to demand regularisation of service. — Correspondent

Scholarships demanded

PESHAWAR, March 7: Kurram Students Union (KSU) on Wednesday demanded of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and political agent of the agency to ensure payment of scholarships to them on regular basis otherwise they would start protest demonstrations.

Addressing a press conference here at the press club, Mohammad Habib, president KSU, said that those students studying at different technical colleges since the last two years were still waiting for their scholarships.

They demanded of the KP governor, Fata elected representatives Haji Munir Khan Orakzai, Senator Engineer Rasheed Ahmad Khan and political agent Shahab-ud-Din to immediately reopen all government colleges of Kurram Agency and provide them teaching staff and other facilities. — Bureau Report