GUJRANWALA: Seven people, including three minors, died in separate incidents when roofs and walls of their houses collapsed during a thunderstorm in Gakkhar and Kamoki towns late on Sunday.

They were laid to rest in their native graveyards on Monday.

Nadeem, his wife Safia and minor daughters Aisha, Komal and Jannat were asleep in their house in Gakkhar Sabari Town when the wall of their neighbour’s house fell on the roof of their house that caved in.

Neighbours recovered their bodies from the rubble, as a Rescue 1122 vehicle reached about an hour late.

Similarly, four-year-old Ali Haider and Junaid, 14, died when a wall of their house collapsed during the storm and around six family members were injured.

Communication and power systems were badly damaged but restored in a few hours.

PML-N MNA Mian Tariq Mehmood and the local leadership went to houses of the deceased and expressed their grief. They also assured grieving families that the chief minister would visit the towns soon and announce compensation for the deceased’s heirs.

EXECUTION: Three convicted murderers will be executed at the central jail on Tuesday (today) and jail authorities have completed all necessary arrangements for the purpose.

Jail Superintendent Kamran Anjum said on Monday convicts Zafarullah, Latif Mehdi and Inayatullah had been handed down death sentences by the district and sessions court in murder cases and the verdict was upheld by the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court. The president had also rejected their mercy appeals.

SENTENCE: The local anti-terrorism court on Monday handed down death sentence on four counts to accused Javed and life-term on four counts to Nazir Ahmad in a double murder case.

Judge Bushra Zaman acquitted nine co-accused, including Majid, Saqlain, Naimat and Khalid Hussain, after giving them benefit of doubt. According to the prosecution, the convicts had murdered two people, Ghulzar and Ghazanfar, over an enmity in Sara-i-Alamgir in January 2014.

ARRESTS: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claimed on Monday to have arrested 11 notorious proclaimed offenders, while 13 others surrendered in courts during a crackdown on them in six districts of the division.

FIA Deputy Director Malik Sikandar said local office received a list of 34 proclaimed offenders from the headquarters for arrests. When teams conducted raids at the houses of these offenders some of them were reported to have died and their heirs provided their death certificates. Eleven of them were arrested and the remaining surrendered in courts and got interim bails.

ROBBERY: Dacoits looted two houses and shot at and injured four members of a family on resisting in Ladheywala village on Monday.

Around six men entered the houses of Hidayatullah and Zaheer Ahmad. They looted Hidayat’s house and later stormed into Ahmad’s house. They gathered gold jewellery, cash and other valuables and opened fire on the families when they raised hue and cry.

Ahmad, his wife Sharifan Bibi and sons Shafiq and Anees were injured. They injured were taken to the local DHQ Hospital in critical condition. Police were looking into the matter.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2015

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