Public holiday today

PESHAWAR, Oct 23: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will observe holiday on Monday (today) to mourn the death of Begum Nusrat Bhutto, mother of late Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto.

She died in Dubai after protracted illness on Sunday. An official handout said the provincial government would also observe a ten-day mourning to pay commemoration to Begum Nusrat Bhutto. The Peshawar High Court and lower courts will also observe holiday today.

Meanwhile, the All Parties Conference at the Chief Minister Secretariat will be held as scheduled.

It was announced by Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Mian Iftikhar Hussain, in a handout. Mr Hussain, who is also the provincial Information Minister, said the decision was taken to pay homage to Nusrat Bhutto’s struggle in the days of martial law. Her long struggle for democracy will long be remembered, he said.

ANP Central President Asfandyar Wali Khan also expressed grief over the sad demise of Nusrat Bhutto.—Bureau Report

Nusrat Bhutto’s death condoled

PESHAWAR, Oct 23: Senior Provincial Minister and PPP leader, Rahimdad Khan, said on Sunday Begum Nusrat Bhutto was a symbol of courage and determination and never compromised on her principles.

Talking to APP on Sunday he said death of Nusrat Bhutto in Dubai was a national loss. The senior minister while eulogising her matchless political struggle against dictatorship said when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged Nusrat Bhutto came on Pakistan's political scene and successfully carried forward the mission of ‘Quaid-i-Awam’. “Not only she trained her children on political, religious and education fronts but also bravely fought for rights of oppressed strata,” he added. He said Nusrat Bhutto had given very tough time to dictator Gen (retd) Ziaul Haq and emerged as champion of democracy.

“Whenever I met her I saw courage and determination on her face and she always talked about progress and prosperity of Pakistan,” he said. He said Pakistan had lost a sincere and true statesman.—APP

Boy recovered, two held

PESHAWAR, Oct 23: Police claimed here the other day to have recovered a kidnapped boy and arrested an abductor and the owner of the house where the victim was kept.

Addressing a press conference, Superintendent of Police Dr Mian Saeed Ahmed said that seven-year-old Tufail Rehman was kidnapped by unidentified persons about three weeks ago from Tajabad area in the limits of Pishtakhaira police station.

The kidnappers had demanded Rs2.5 million as ransom for the release of the child, he added.

Acting on a tip-off, the SP said, police arrested one of the kidnappers identified as Farhad. “During interrogation Fahad told police that his other accomplices had kept the kidnapped child in a house in Mathra Bazaar located on Warsak Road,” the official claimed.

He said that police raided the said house and recovered the child. Police also arrested the owner of the house identified as Fazl Wahab, he added.—Bureau Report

Free medical camps

PESHAWAR, Oct 23: Hamza Welfare Foundation in collaboration with Tanzeem lalsail-walmahroom on Sunday organised free medical camps in various remote villages of Bannu district.

The camps were arranged to provide free medical services to patients of far flung areas at their doorsteps.

A qualified team of medical professionals examined more than 1,025 patients, including children and women, besides providing free diagnostic test facility and medicines.

Locals appreciated the endeavours of the foundation and suggested holding more such camps in future.—APP

Development schemes

BATKHELA, Oct 23: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Finance Engineer Mohammad Hamayun Khan has said that development work in PK-99 constituency is being carried out in consultation with local people and members of the development committees.

Addressing a meeting of the elders of Totakan and its adjacent areas on Sunday, he directed the party workers to constitute development committees to complete these development schemes under their supervision.

The provincial minister said in the coming annual budget, special funds would be sanctioned for the installation of hand pumps in the backward areas of Malakand Agency, including Totakan, Pirkhel and other adjacent areas.

Mr Hamayun said water coolers along with stabilisers would be installed in schools, hospitals and mosques. He said funds had been approved for the construction of protection walls and construction of water channels in the flood affected areas.—APP

Exam date not extended

PESHAWAR, Oct 23: It is clarified that the departmental examinations for superintendent jail (class II), deputy superintendent jail and assistant superintendent jail, which were scheduled to be held on Oct 24, have been postponed by the home and tribal affairs department and next date for these examinations would be notified shortly.

It was erroneously mentioned in the Oct 23 edition of this paper that date for the said examinations had been extended by a week.—Bureau Report

Distinction

PESHAWAR, Oct 23: Rahatullah, son of Sharifuddin, resident of Dir, Kohistan, has bagged 3rd position in an inter-university all Pakistan English essay writing competition titled ‘the role of students in the development of Pakistan’.

Rahatullah is student of third year (B.Sc Electrical Engineering), University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Peshawar.

He was given a cash prize of Rs20,000.

The event was organised by the Students Aid Foundation for Excellence (Sale) held on 15, 16 and 17 of this month in University of Punjab, according to a press release.—Bureau Report