Man dies on road

TIMERGARA, Dec 29: A man was killed while two others were injured when a pick-up van rammed into a roadside wall at Zawal Baba on Khall-Timergara road on Saturday, police and residents said.

They said the accident occurred when the vehicle went out of the driver’s control. As a result, Hamidullah of Munjai was killed, while Farooq and Rahmatullah were injured. The injured were rushed to the district headquarters hospital Timergara. Driver of the van escaped. The Timergara police registered a case. Meanwhile, elders of the Swatis tribe belonging to Maidan on Saturday quit JI and join the PPP.

Swati elders Sultan Zarin, Bahadar Khan and Attaullah while addressing a news conference at the Timergara Press Club accused the JI of supporting property dealers, land grabbers and using Islam for its personal interest.—Correspondent

OGDCL ‘violates’ job quota

KOHAT, Dec 29: The Oil and Gas Development Company has been asked to provide jobs to local youth according to a fixed quota and not to induct relatives of those already employed. The president of the ‘rights for OGDCL employees’ Mohammad Naeem in a statement said the company recently inducted 15 blue-eyed persons without advertising the posts.

He further alleged that the landowners on whose lands exploration rigs had been established had been denied jobs despite having separate quota for jobs. He threatened agitation if due right was not given to local people.

He appealed to the Kohat division commissioner and district coordination officer to ensure induction of local jobless youth in the company.—Correspondent

New LG law rejected

PESHAWAR, Dec 29: The Local Council Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, has opposed awarding maximum powers to the bureaucracy instead of elected people under the new local bodies law.

LCA general secretary Israrullah advocate termed the Local Government Law, 2012 as unconstitutional, undemocratic and anti-masses, according to a press release issued here on Saturday. Under the new law, he said maximum power was given to the provincial government and bureaucracy instead of the elected representatives. It was against the 140-A of the constitution, he added.

It’s a practice worldwide that power is devolved to the elected representatives to ensure development and prosperity with the participation of masses in decision making process, he said, adding the country couldn’t be developed in the absence of strong and effective elected local representatives. He said the LCA would soon devise a strategy for launching protest campaign against the provincial government for reviving the old local bodies setup.—Bureau Report

Arrest of killers sought

PESHAWAR, Dec 29: Syed Jalal Shaikh, a resident of Peshtakhara Bala, has accused Sarband police of supporting the alleged murderers of his son and demanded of the chief justice of Peshawar High Court to help arrest the killers.He told reporters at Peshawar Press Club on Saturday, on Nov 27,2011 his son Shaikh Kamil Shah (19) had been shot dead by a group of local influential people but police were reluctant to arrest them. “The accused Farooq Gujar, Faiq Gujar, Shoaib Gujar and Iftikhar have been nominated in the FIR but the police are avoiding arresting them,” he alleged and added two accused – Farooq and Faiq -- had fled to Saudi Arabia.

The complainant said he repeatedly visited the Sarband police demanding action against the killers but to avail. “I am poor and an aged man but the police are not paying any heed to my case,” he lamented.—Bureau Report

JUI-S names poll candidates

KOHAT, Dec 29: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-S has finalised names of candidates for national and provincial assembly seats from Kohat division. The nominations were made unanimously by the provincial shura of the party at a meeting held here on Saturday.

Qari Fateh Mohammad was nominated to contest elections from NA-14, Kohat, Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz from NA-15, Karak and Maulana Abdul Wahid from NA-16, Hangu.

Three persons were nominated to contest the polls on three provincial assembly seats from Kohat who are Abdul Salam Qureshi from KP-37, Mufti Mohammad Tariq from KP-38 and Hafiz Mohammad Amin from KP-39.

The meeting postponed nominations on two provincial assembly seats from Karak for which names would be announced later.—Correspondent

Freed Swatis reach home

SWAT, Dec 29: Two residents of Swat, who were recently freed from the captivity of Somalian pirates, reached home on Saturday. Moving scenes were seen among family members on arrival of Gul Bacha to Bara Bandai and Ali Mohammad to Godan Dewlai area in Swat valley from Somalia. The Somalian pirates had attacked a ship and made hostages its crew members and passengers in March 2010.—Correspondent