Pensioners’ demand

FATEHJANG March 14: Restoration of full pension after the expiry of commutation period should be fixed at 70 years of the pensioners’ age as was in previous era but during President Pervez Musharraf regime it was extended to 75 years of the pensioners’ age. Pensioners Welfare Association Sardar Zameer Khan said this while talking to Dawn on Wednesday.

He said it was hard for the pensioners to wait for so long a period to get their full pension restored as ever-increasing prices of daily use items had made it difficult for them to keep body and soul together. Zameer Khan called upon the government to look into the matter and reduce the commutation limit up to 70 years of pensioners’ age. —Correspondent

Sanitary worker suffocated

ISLAMABAD, March 14: A sanitary worker of Capital Development Authority (CDA) suffocated while opening a choked manhole in Sector I-9 on Wednesday, police said.

Sikandar Masih, the resident of a Katchi Abadi at F-6/2, on a complaint, was opening the choked manhole when he fell unconscious. His colleague pulled him out of the manhole. On information, Rescue-1122 reached the spot and shifted him to CDA hospital where he was pronounced dead.—Staff Reporter

World consumer rights day

ISLAMABAD, March 14: Financial institutions in Pakistan are working with target-oriented approach of getting more clients rather than facilitating consumers and satisfying them with better services, said a press release issued by The Network for Consumer Protection.

On the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day on Thursday (today), the network claimed to join the world community in calling upon the governments to provide consumers good quality comparable information so that they can make informed choices in choosing financial service.

Such information will also help to combat ‘gimmicks’ that encourage consumers to switch to services that are not a good deal, it said.

This year’s World Consumer Rights Day is being celebrated with the theme: “Our money, Our rights: Campaigning for real choice in financial services.” Consumers around the world are facing troubles while dealing with financial services. During the past decade, financial and banking sector in Pakistan have seen a rapid and mushroom growth with profits going up in billions of rupees. Consumer financing played a substantial role and impacted consumers’ lives but it failed to comfort them in reality, the PR said.— A Reporter

Man arrested

ISLAMABAD, March 14: A person’s attempt to get driving licence on the bank deposit slip of someone else landed him in trouble, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, Tariq Ali, a resident of Sargodha, came to Traffic Police Headquarters and appeared in the driving test. He submitted the licence fee deposit slip along with the application form to the test conducting officer.

However, traffic police official got suspicious as a part of the deposit slip where the depositor’s name is mentioned was missing. At this, inspector traffic police verified the receipt from the bank which revealed that the depositor of the amount was not Tariq Ali.

Later, he was taken into custody and handed over to Margalla police for legal action. Inspector Traffic Shamas Azhar also lodged a complaint against him and the police registered a fraud case against him. SSP Traffic Dr Moeen Masood said that any person who would try to get driving license illegal way would not be spared. —Staff Reporter

10 outlaws apprehended

ISLAMABAD, March 14: Capital police on Wednesday arrested 10 outlaws from different parts of the city and recovered narcotics, weapons and liquor along with looted items from them, a police spokesman said.He said Sihala police intercepted a car (LEE-9740) at Bhinder stop for checking and recovered 10kg hashish from it. The police also recovered 530gram hashish from a man during checking which led to his arrest.

Aabpara police arrested two bootleggers, Salahuddin and Nabeel, after two bottles of wine were recovered from them. Kohsar police recovered 12 bottles of wine and arrested a bootlegger, Nasir Masih.

Margalla police arrested two persons - Ghulam Qadir and Kamran Ahmed –after recovery of two 30-bore pistols from them. Golra police recovered two 12-bore rifles and 175grams of hashish which led to the arrest of Imran and Sadique. Koral police recovered a 30-bore pistol from Qamar Mukhtar.  Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) arrested an alleged thief and recovered a stolen laptop from him.—Staff Reporter

36 encroachers fined

RAWALPINDI, March 14: Rawal Town Municipal Administration (RTMA) on Wednesday imposed fine of Rs36,000 on 36 shopkeepers for encroachment and razed illegal construction around a school at Saidpuri Gate.— A Reporter