BAHAWALPUR: A local anti-terrorism court handed down life imprisonment and fined Rs2.2 million to an accused in an acid attack case here on Thursday.

According to the prosecution, Muhammad Azhar had on April 26, 2014, injured Samina Begum by throwing acid on her. The injured woman had filed a suit against Azhar for dissolution of marriage.

The convict will have to pay Rs1 million to the victim. In case of default, he will undergo hard jail of three years.

The court acquitted two co-accused -- Muhammad Khalid and Muhammad Afzal -- by giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Another accused Mazhar had already been declared a proclaimed offender.

OFFICIALS WARNED: Federal Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Shair Ali has warned Mepco officials to address complaints of consumers or else be ready to face strict action.

Presiding over an open court at Dring Stadium here on Thursday, the minister said the prime minister had directed ministers to hold open courts at district and tehsil levels to listen to grievances of the people and also redress them.

He said that officials should not sit in their offices and move in the field to resolve consumers’ problems on-the-spot.

Mr Abid Sher Ali, accompanied by Federal Minister of State for Education Baleeghur Rehman, listen to consumers’ complaints which were mostly pertained to upgrading of transformers.

The minister directed the officials concerned to replace the affected transfers immediately.

Some of the consumers complained that the Mepco staff had asked them to desist from complaining about the excessive billing.

Muhammad Ilyas of Basti Sahlan said the Mepco staff directed him not to forward his complaint about overbilling. At this, the minister reprimanded the officials and directed them to address the complaint of overbilling.

SEPARATE PROVINCE: Activists of the Bahawalpur Movement announced continuing their struggle for a separate province.

Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, activists Akram Ansari, Asia Kamil, Habibullah Bhutta and others urged the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister to honour their commitment and announce the upgradation of Bahawalpur as a separate province.

They said that Friday (today) would be observed as a ‘martyrs day’ in memory of the firing incident at Farid Gate in 1971 in which two persons had lost their lives.

REVIEWED: Punjab Minister for Food Bilal Yaseen reviewed arrangements regarding the wheat procurement in the Bahawalpur division here on Thursday.

The minister said the supply of gunny bags to growers would begin within two days, adding that at least 70 procurement centres in three districts had been established.

He said that over 700,000 tons of wheat would be procured in the Bahawalpur division.

Punjab Food Secretary Dr Pervez Ahmed and Punjab Food Director Asif Bilal Lodhi briefed the minister about the wheat procurement campaign in Punjab where a sum of Rs130 billion had been allocated for purchasing four million tons of wheat.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2015

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