Students block road

KARAK, Jan 14: The students of degree college Banda Daud Shah blocked Karak-Bannu road to protest against shortage of teachers and non-availability of basic facilities in the college here on Monday.

The protesters boycotted classes and marched on the road, chanting slogans against the government.

The students’ leaders on the occasion said the posts of teachers of mathematics, English, computer science, Pakistan study and other important science subjects were lying vacant since long, but the education department did not bother to post teachers.

They regretted that the students also faced acute shortage of drinking water on the college premises.

They alleged the elected representatives of the district were unaware about the problems of the college and wasted public money on petty projects. Later, the students opened the road and dispersed peacefully.—Correspondent

Violence in Balochistan

DAGGAR, Jan 14: Jamaat-i-Islami naib amir Sirajul Haq has held the present rulers responsible for the ongoing violence in the country.

Speaking at an ulema conference at Markazi Islami in Swari tehsil of Buner district on Monday, he urged the ulema to play their due role to mobilise masses for support of religious forces in upcoming general elections. The event was organised by Jamiat Ittehad Ulema.

The JI leader said PPP and ANP had pushed the country to the verge of collapse. He said the ongoing crisis in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and the tribal areas worsened due to the flawed policies of the government.

He said terrorism, kidnappings, lawlessness, unemployment and price hike were the gift of the present government.—Correspondent

Vaccination against measles

LANDI KOTAL, Jan 14: Health authorities in Khyber Agency have started vaccinating children against measles after some cases were reported from different parts during last three weeks.

Agency surgeon Dr Samin Shinwari told Dawn the Fata health directorate provided them with 10,000 vaccines and so far health staff had vaccinated more than 3,000 children against measles in Landi Kotal and Jamrud.

He said a request for provision of vaccine was sent to the health directorate after doctors at Landi Kotal and Jamrud reported to him about some children affected by measles.

“The vaccination campaign is going on smoothly and we have not received any information about the death of any child due to measles in Khyber Agency so far,” he said.

Dr Samin brushed aside rumours that some children had died of measles and argued that not a single case had so far been reported.—Correspondent

Unscheduled loadshedding

KOHAT, Jan 14: The excessive and unscheduled electricity loadshedding has been continuing in the district making lives of residents hard. Local residents said electricity remained suspended for 18 hours, creating various problems for them.

A Pesco official told Dawn on telephone that the electricity had been disconnected from central control room, Islamabad due to some fault. But, he didn’t elaborate the fault.

The local residents also complained that fluctuation in power supply was also damaging their electric appliances. They demanded of the authorities concerned to announce schedule of the loadshedding.—Correspondent

Female lecturers seek CJP help

PESHAWAR, Jan 14: Female lecturers of Frontier Education Foundation (FEF) have appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhri to resume hearing in their long-pending case submitted in early 2012.

The FEF lecturers Ghazala Saba, Farida Rani, Nosheen and others in a statement on Monday said the Peshawar High Court had regularised their services in its landmark verdict on January 1, 2012.

However, later the FEF administration challenged the PHC judgment in the Supreme Court. The honourable court accepted the writ petition in February, 2012. But the regular hearing was yet to start, the statement said.

The statement said the affected lecturers had submitted an application with the Supreme Court registrar office for fixing a date for hearing but they were still waiting for a response.

They pleaded the chief justice to set up a special bench to decide their case at the earliest and save their future.—Bureau Report

Police post damaged in blast

CHARSADDA, Jan 14: A traffic police post at tehsil bazaar Charsadda was partially damaged in a bomb explosion early on Monday.

According to police, unknown miscreants planted explosive device at a graveyard on the backside of the tehsil bazaar traffic police post which went off early in the morning. As a result the post was damaged partially.

The blast was heard far and wide. The Prang police registered FIR against unknown miscreants and started investigation.—Correspondent

Promoting police image

PESHAWAR, Jan 14: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has directed police and other departments to provide timely information to the provincial minister for information for the purpose of sharing with media.

According to a statement issued by the home and tribal affairs department here on Monday, a decision to this effect had already been taken by the provincial cabinet in its 53rd meeting held on Dec 4, 2012.

Stressing the need for materialising the decision, the home department said sharing information with media meant to highlight performance of the police department.

The statement said on certain occasions an outstanding performance of the police was overshadowed by lack of timely transmission and dissemination of information.—Bureau Report

Free medical camps

KHAR, Jan 14:  Director General Health Services Fata Dr Fawad Khan has said the government has been providing basic health facilities to the people of tribal area.

This he said while addressing the closing ceremony of the ten-day free medical camps here on Monday.

The free medical camps held in different areas of the agency were arranged by the health services Fata in collaboration with the security forces.

Dr Fawad said the main objective of the free medical camps, arranged on the orders of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar was to provide basic health facilities to the people of backward and far flung areas of the agency which have no access to health facilities.

He said that 27,000 patients of different areas of the agency were treated in the medical camps and provided medicines free of cast.—Correspondent