NEWS IN BRIEF

Published November 12, 2012

Chitral development

CHITRAL, Nov 11: The Chitral Community Development Network (CCDN), an umbrella organisation of 16 local support organisations, has asked the government to order the Chitral Integrated Area Development Project to extend its working to all the backward areas of the district.Talking to Dawn on Sunday, the chairman of CCDN, Abdul Ghaffar complained the foreign funded project was launched four years ago but it had selected only five out of 24 union councils of the district. He said the project had failed to achieve its target as it was short of technical and other support staff.

Mr Ghaffar said the project had to include backward union councils after completing its preliminary phase but it was still in its initial stage of development due to inefficiency of its officers who remained away from the district most of time.

He said there were areas where even basic amenities of life were not available.—Correspondent

Man commits suicide

MARDAN, Nov 11: A man committed suicide on the morning of his marriage ceremony in Saeed Abad locality here on Sunday.

Locals and relatives said they found the bridegroom Fazal Rehman dead inside the guest room where he had locked himself. The relatives broke open the door after he did not respond to their calls.

They said that the family members rushed him to the district headquarters hospital Mardan, where doctors pronounced him dead. He had shot himself in the head.

The family while registering FIR with the Par Hoti police station, said the incident occurred at a time when the wedding procession was about to leave for the bride’s home.—Correspondent

Sharia enforcement

TIMERGARA, Nov 11: The chief of Islami Jamiat Tulba (IJT), a student wing of Jamaat-i-Islami, Zubair Safdar has said Pakistan came into being over six decades ago but Sharia was yet to be enforced in the country.

He was addressing a students’ rally in front of the Timergara Press Club. Earlier, the IJT, Lower Dir chapter, arranged a programme under the ‘Umeed-i-Pakistan Rally’ at Balambat attended by hundreds of students. The students then marched on Balambat-Timergara road, chanting slogans against the Pakistani and US leaders.

Zubair Safdar said millions of people had given sacrifices for independence of Pakistan but the country had been run by secular people since 1947. He said law and order situation in the country had gone from bad to worse and people had been killed in every nook and corner. The IJT leader said youth could steer the country out of the crises.—Correspondent

Suicide blast toll rises

PESHAWAR, Nov 11: The death toll from the Qissa Khwani bazaar suicide blast rose to six as another police constable succumbed to injuries here on Sunday.

Javed Khan, a constable in the Khan Raziq police station, was seriously injured in the suicide blast on Thursday. Five persons, including a superintendent of police Hilal Haider, were killed in the blast.

The constable was admitted to the Lady Reading Hospital and was being treated for multiple injuries.—Bureau Report

Smeda distributes cheques

TIMERGARA, Nov 11:  The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) on Sunday distributed cheques worth Rs1.5 million among the short listed candidates hailing from the Timergara union council who had been affected by flash floods in 2010.

District coordinator of the Smeda’s Early Recovery Project (ERP) Ms Noor Zeba distributed cheques among 93 female and 25 male residents whose businesses had suffered due to floods, at a function.

Briefing journalists ERP coordinator for Lower Dir Adnan Afridi said Smeda launched the project with the financial support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in September, 2011 to reinvigorate the flood affected businesses and livelihood activities.

Addressing the ceremony, Noor Zeba urged participants to cooperate with Smeda in ensure business development in the area. She also informed them about the ERP activities in this regard.—Correspondent

‘Wastage of royalty funds’

KARAK, Nov 11: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf leader and former DG Intelligence Bureau Masood Sharif Khattak has expressed resentment over the wastage of gas and oil royalty funds by the elected representatives.Speaking at a public meeting at Isak Chontra here on Sunday, he said the PTI would set up a trust to ensure transparent utilisation of the royalty funds if it came to power. He said the elected representatives of the district had been using the funds for personal gains.

He regretted that the champions of Pakhtun rights were silent over miseries of Pakhtuns who were being killed in drone attacks on the country’s soil. He also criticised the ruling PPP for playing silent spectator over the drone strike.

Mr Khattak said PTI was the only political party which could steer the country out of the multiple crises. He alleged the rulers ruthlessly plundered the public resources.—Correspondent

Karachi killings condemned

NOWSHERA, Nov 11: Defa-i-Pakistan Council chief Maulana Samiul Haq has criticised the target killing of medressah students in Karachi and warned the government that they would chalk out a strategy to counter such incidents.

“We have convened a meeting of PDC to draw up the future plan against target killing of students of Hassanul Medressah in Karachi,” said Maulana Samiul Haq, who is also chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, according to a press release issued here on Sunday.

Mr Sami termed the target killing and raid over medressah in Karachi part of a conspiracy to destroy peace and tranquility of the city.

He demanded of the government to take stern action against all those political parties which were responsible for law and order situation in Karachi.—Correspondent

JI, JUI differences

TIMERGARA, Nov 11: Jamaat-i-Islami, Lower Dir chief and former MNA Maulana Asadullah has asked party workers and local leaders to avoid issuing objectionable statements to media against the JUI-F and other religious parties.

Addressing a party congregation at Timergara the other day, Maulana Asadullah said despite differences among religious political parties for the MMA revival the JI had been engaged to unite them on one platform.

He said the JI would give priority to all religious parties in the region to make alliance during the next general election. Media statements against each other, he said had been widening the gulf between religious parties.

He said the JI despite being the largest party in Dir suffered defeat in the previous elections. However, he said the party would be pleased if all religious parties united on one platform.

The JI district amir appealed to the leadership of all religious parties to be flexible on the revival of MMA.—Correspondent

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