TOBA TEK SINGH: Saddar police on Wednesday recovered three rocket launchers and their gun from the outhouse of a farmer, and arrested him and his son belonging to Chak 376-JB, Bassi.

The outhouse of Ghulam Sabir is located near Jhang branch canal from where a rocket launcher and its gun had been recovered on Tuesday. The canal is closed for a month for desilting and only a very small amount of water still flows.

Sabir told police he saw the rockets and gun in the canal and took them to his outhouse.

Station House Officer Ali Raza said bomb disposal staff of the Civil Defence department had defused the three rocket launchers. He said police were probing both Sabir and his son Mohammad Raza.

About two weeks ago, Toba and Jhang police and security agencies had launched a joint search operation in the villages located around Pakistan Air Force Rafiqui Airbase Shorkot.

The federal Interior Ministry’s National Crisis Management Cell had written a letter stating that Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, Al Qaeda and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ) were plotting an attack on the airbase. Sources said the letter had mentioned that Al Qaeda’s Shoaib Cheema alias Muneeb and Amer Ali Chaudhry alias Arsalan and Huzaifa were planning the attack with the connivance of LJ.

During search operations, security agencies had taken some suspects into custody for investigation. The rocket launchers were believed to have been dumped into the canal by some suspects due to fear of a search operation.

Police were searching the area after recovery of rocket launchers and their guns.

Also read: Rocket launcher found in canal bed

FIRE: Three members of a family received serious burn injuries when a fire broke out due to gas leakage in a room of their house in Bakhshi Park on Wednesday.

Abdul Rauf and sons 14-year-old Amer Ali and 12-year-old Imran Ali were asleep in a room when a gas heater caught fire and spread to their beds.

All three were injured critically and admitted to the DHQ Hospital.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2015