Impartial caretaker setup sought

KARAK, Feb 20: PML-N leader Fareed Tofan has alleged elections in the country have always been manipulated and that he was defeated in the last elections through fake votes.

He was speaking at a ceremony held at the conclusion of a cricket tournament at Banda Daud Shah on Wednesday. He demanded setting up an impartial and consensus caretaker setup at the centre and provinces to hold free, fair and transparent elections.

He alleged PPP and ANP were not interested in holding elections on time.

Fareed Tofan, who was affiliated with ANP, said the ANP government had promoted a culture of corruption and failed to resolve people’s problems. He regretted that despite having huge reservoirs of natural resources the people of Banda Daud Shah were still without basic facilities.

Meanwhile, body of a young man identified as Tahirullah of Lapari Kalla was found in Hamidan area of Takht-i-Nusrati on Wednesday. —Correspondent

Inspection of uplift schemes

MANSEHRA, Feb 20: A technical team of anti-corruption establishment, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has carried out inspection of various development schemes following complainants that funds were embezzled and substandard material was used in their construction.

“Cases will be registered against the responsible persons after the team submits a report,” said Ijaz Khan, the circle in-charge of ACE, while speaking to reporters here on Wednesday. He said the director ACE KP Fiaz Ali Shah had ordered inspection of the uplift schemes after receiving various complaints.

Mr Khan, who was also part of the team, said engineers inspected construction of basic health unit, Tarangri, government high school Jaba Malik Pur, Chund Galli and Chukan Lassain Nawab water supply schemes.

He said the team also reviewed the drawing of the schemes as there were also complaints that the master plan of some schemes was also altered to embezzle funds. —Correspondent

Four tribesmen arrested

KOHAT, Feb 20: Security forces on Wednesday arrested four tribesmen after a clash between two rival tribes of Darra Adamkhel over possession of a coalmine in the area.

Officials said the clash started between Qasim Khel and Mani Khel tribes over a disputed coalmine in a mountain shared by them.

The security forces reached the area and arrested four tribesmen belonging to Qasimkhel tribe. They were handed over to the political administration. The security forces also seized huge quantity of weapons from the two tribes. —Correspondent

Fire guts four shops

MANSEHRA, Feb 20: A huge blaze gutted four shops at a market at the main bus terminal here on Tuesday night.

The fire which apparently broke out because of short-circuiting at a shop engulfed the entire market within no time, leaving four shops completely gutted.

The local people and fire tenders took two hours to extinguish the fire. The city police station registered case and started investigation. —Correspondent

Govt blamed for poor law, order

KOHAT, Feb 20: Opposition leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Mohammad Akram Khan Durrani has blamed the worsening law and order situation on the ‘incompetence’ of the government.

Speaking at a meeting here on Wednesday, the former chief minister also claimed that the former KP governor Lt-Gen (retd) Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai was forced to resign after he signed a peace deal with the Taliban in Waziristan.

He said the move to assign Maulana Fazlur Rehman front role in talks with the Taliban was because the JUI-F always supported talks with militants. He stated that all institutions during MMA regime functioned according to the constitution because bureaucrats were posted on merit.

Senator Maulana Naseeb Gul, Gohar Saifullah Khan, Ghulam Habib and others also spoke on the occasion. —Correspondent

Students protest against minister

PESHAWAR, Feb 20: Students of various educational institutions led by People’s Students Federation held a protest demonstration against the state minister Azmat Khan and asked the PPP not to give him party ticket for next elections.

The protesters gathered at Sher Shah Suri Road outside Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the state minister.

Talking to reporters the students’ leaders Qasim Khan and Maqsood Khan said the protesters contacted the minister time and again to materialise his commitments with the people in Dir but to no avail.

Majority of the people, they said had suffered due to militancy and floods but the minister never visited the affected localities and stayed in Islamabad.

“We have learnt that PPP is allotting him ticket of the national assembly once again but the people of Dir will not support the move,” they said. —Bureau Report

Orphan care initiative launched

PESHAWAR, Feb 20: The Al-Khidmat Foundation Pakistan (AKFP) on Wednesday launched orphan care programme for 10,000 orphan children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata.

The project was launched at a ceremony at Peshawar Press Club, where AKFP central president Dr Hafeez-ur-Rehman was chief guest. AKFP KP president Noor-ul-Haq, former president Dr Iqbal Khalil and foundation’s Fata president Awal Khan Afridi spoke on the occasion.

They said the project had been launched to help the orphan children get education and become useful citizens of the society.

Dr Hafeez said 10,000 orphan children across the tribal area and KP would be provided financial assistance and free education.

He informed that each orphan would be granted Rs2,500 per month. He urged philanthropists to donate generously for the orphans through the foundation.—Bureau Report

Power transformer for Dir

PESHAWAR, Feb 20: The government has approved installation of a 20/25kva power transformer at Chakdara grid station to overcome low voltage problem in parts of Dir and Swat districts.

This was stated by PPP leader and Senator Ahmed Hassan Khan here on Wednesday. He said residents of various localities of Dir, including Talash, Chakdara, Timergara were facing excessive loadshedding and low voltage and with the installation of the powerful transformer the problem would be solved.

The senator said Pesco chief executive and director planning had assured him that an alternative feeder would be arranged for union council Dushkhel Dir to facilitate the people. —Bureau Report