Police ‘torture cells’

PESHAWAR, March 21: Tribesmen have accused the Hayatabad police of establishing ‘torture cells’ and keeping innocent people in habeas corpus to extort money from them.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday tribesmen led by Sabit Khan said the SHO of Hayatabad police station Rajab Ali had kept many people in his ‘personal torture cells’ and released them after extorting money from them.

“I was kept in Hayatabad police station’s lock-up for two months,” he alleged and added the SHO asked him to pay Rs1.8 million otherwise he would not be released.

Mr Khan said his family managed to pay Rs0.3million and got him released from police custody. He revealed police were still sending life threats to him in case he disclosed the reports. —Bureau Report

Abducted Wapda workers

PESHAWAR, March 21: Civil society members on Wednesday held a protest demonstration against the government failure to ensure save recovery of kidnapped Wapda employees, who went missing while repairing a line in Badbher on January 11.

The protesters were holding banners and placards inscribed with demands for early and safe recovery of the kidnapped victims.

Umer Said Khan, vice-chairman of Safeena Foundation, who led the protest, told media persons despite repeated appeals the government had taken no practical step for recovery of Mohammad Fayaz, Mohammad Suhail and Amir Khan. —Bureau Report

Land dispute claims life

PESHAWAR, March 21: A land dispute on Wednesday claimed life of an elderly man and injury to another at Khazana village on Charsadda Road, police said.

An official of the Khazana police station said Rahim Gul was shot dead allegedly by his relatives over a disputed land located in Tehkal area.

A complainant Rahimullah, son of the deceased, told police his family had shifted from Tehkal to Khazana but his relatives killed his father at his residence and injured another relative.

He nominated Nazar Mohammad and his sons, Safdar, Asif, Gauhar in the murder case. The police said Safdar had been arrested but the other accused were still at large. —Bureau Report

Jobless doctors

PESHAWAR, March 21: Doctors have demanded increase in seats in public sector hospitals to help adjust unemployed doctors there.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday Azad Doctors Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spokesman Dr Kamran Asghar said 761 doctors had cleared their interviews in the Public Service Commission but they were still jobless.

He demanded of the government to accommodate all the jobless doctors by increasing the seats of medical officers and remove unrest among them.

They threatened that if their demands were not accepted within four days the doctors would observe token hunger strike and would besiege Chief Minister House. —Bureau Report

Lawyer’s membership cancelled

SWABI, March 21: The Swabi bar association on Wednesday expelled a senior advocate over his alleged involvement in anti-bar activities.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the bar presided over by its newly elected president Arshad Khan advocate.

The participants also appealed to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council to terminate the membership of Faheem Akbar advocate because he failed to uphold the norms of the profession.

Mr Faheem Akbar had written a letter to the Provincial Bar Council expressing his reservations over the way the election of the Swabi bar was conducted. His relations with the bar deteriorated to a point of no return and the bar anger culminated in his expulsion. —Correspondent

Protest against robberies

MANSEHRA, March 21: Hundreds of traders converged on streets on Wednesday to protest rising cases of robberies in Oghi.

“We are shocked that robbers broke eleven shops and a mosque in main bazaar and decamped with whatever was there but police remained unaware. If robbers are not arrested within 48 hours we would observe complete shutter down and block the main road for indefinite time,” threatened one of the office-bearers of the traders’ body, while speaking to protesters in Oghi.

The angry traders blocked main road for two hours while setting tyres on fire at Milad square. —Correspondent

Vacant posts of doctors

KARAK, March 21: Karak Qaumi Tehrik on Wednesday demanded of the government to fill all the vacant posts of doctors in the hospitals of Karak.

Addressing a jirga president of the Tehrik Dr Imran said the government should provide doctors to the hospitals otherwise the people would launch protest movement. —Correspondent

Students arrest denounced

PESHAWAR, March 21: Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) on Wednesday held a protest demonstration against the arrest of their colleagues in Peshawar University.

Holding banners and placards, the protesters also shouted slogans against the police.

Shah Zaman Durani, nazim of IJT, University of Peshawar, told media persons the IJT workers were arrested and beaten up for observing a protest demonstration against the arrival of US Ambassador Cameron Munter to Peshawar University.

They demanded of the government to immediately suspend campus police station SHO and release the arrested students. —Bureau Report

Community schools

PESHAWAR, March 21: Peace and Development Organisation (Pado) a non-governmental organisation, with the assistance of USAID has launched a three-year non-formal education project in 15 villages of Bahrian, Madiyan and Tirat union councils of Swat district.

Under the programme 15 community-based schools will be established for approximately 1,500 out of school children.

The NGO is working for bringing improvement in access to school for the out of school children especially girls.

Furqan Ullah, programme manager, informed on Wednesday that children will have an accelerated curriculum, which they will be able to complete in three years instead of six years at formal schools. Children will not need to travel long distances as these schools will be located within the community, he said. —Bureau Report