MANSEHRA: A local court on Monday handed down 30 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs250,000 to a teacher for killing a first-year student.

The additional session judge, Balakot, Haq Nawaz Khan after hearing counsels of both the sides pronounced the verdict in the presence of the convict.

The convict, Mohammad Naveed, teacher of a private school, took Bashir Riaz, a student of first-year, to a deserted place in Gari Habibullah in 2012 and attempted to sexually assault him. But, when the student put up resistance, the teacher killed him and dumped his body in a sewage hole. The police had booked the man under sections 302 and 511 of the CrPC. The incident sparked protests, with people demanding the public execution of the convict.

SHUTTER DOWN STRIKE: The traders in Mansehra would observe a shutter down strike today (Tuesday) to protest against district administration for arresting 51 traders and fining them for violating the official price list.

“We have been following provincial government’s directives in the larger public interest to control price hike and would continue action against those charging consumers prices other than fixed by the district price review and control committee,” said Aamer Khattak, the deputy commissioner, while speaking to media men on Monday. A team led by Mr Khattak paid surprise visits to markets in Mansehra and Shinkiari and arrested 51 traders for fleecing consumers. The traders were also fined Rs120,000.

The arrested traders were later set free, but the central trader’s body announced shutter down strike to protest ‘highhandedness’ of the local administration.

The deputy commissioner said that the district price and review committee had, last month, fixed prices of commodities with the consent of the representatives of trader’s body, but the traders violated the price list.

Meanwhile, the traders’ union president Hafiz Ijaz Ahmad said that they would observe shutter down against the fines and arrest of traders. He said that besides the traders body would also move court against fines and arrests. Mr Ahmad said that if their demands were not met then they would widen the scope of protest to other parts of the district in second leg. — Correspondent

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play