Underage driving banned

KOHAT, Aug 27: The district development advisory committee on Tuesday finalised traffic plan for Kohat and banned underage driving.

The committee chairman, MPA Ziaullah Khan Bangash chaired the meeting. Road authority officer Qaiser Naz, chief officer Mohammad Shoeb and other traffic officials were in attendance.

The participants discussed congestion on roads, which was resulting in fatal accidents and decided to impose a Rs5,000 fine on the underage drivers after carrying out a month long awareness campaign. It also decided to remove extra seats from public vehicles, illegal bus stands and number plates.

Speaking on the occasion, MPA Bangash said cases would be initiated against those violating the law. —Correspondent

Conference on Fata

PESHAWAR, Aug 27: A three-day national conference on Fata, organised by Pakistan Study Centre of the Peshawar University, will start at the varsity’s Bara Gali summer campus on Thursday.

Centre’s director Professor Fakhr-ul-Islam said on Wednesday said that 30 scholars from different universities of the country would present their research papers on Fata during the conference.

Peshawar University Vice Chancellor Dr Rasool Jan would inaugurate the event, according to a press release issued here.

Mr Islam said research scholars and professors from reputed universities and institutes of the country would participate in the conference. He hoped that the conference would achieve its objectives and would create awareness about Fata at a time when the area was at the centre of world attention. —Bureau Report

Cleanliness drive

PESHAWAR, Aug 27: The Peshawar police on Tuesday launched weekly cleanliness campaign in the police stations, police posts and offices of circle officers to provide clean working environment to the police force.

The station house officers organised the exercise in their respective police stations, which was supervised by the circle officers, according to a handout issued here.

The cleanliness drive would be carried out on every Sunday. —Bureau Report

Unscheduled loadshedding

SWABI, Aug 27: Local people on Tuesday complained about unscheduled and excessive loadshedding in Swabi district.

They told Dawn that loadshedding had almost ended during by-election, but it returned immediately after conclusion of the polls.

“In NA-13, Swabi-II, there was no loadshedding and nominal outages were carried out in other areas of the district. However, the situation has changed altogether soon after the conclusion of the by-election,” said Salauddin Khan of Maini.

The seat was won by PTI’s Mr Aqibullah Khan, the brother of provincial assembly speaker, Asad Qaisar.

People alleged that the PTI-led coalition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had directed the Peshawar Electric Supply Company to end loadshedding for a few weeks to only get votes. They demanded of the government to end the outages immediately. —Correspondent

Shifting of varsity protested

KARAK, Aug 27: Traders of Karak city on Tuesday observed shutter down strike against the proposed shifting of Khushal Khattak University Karak to a new site. Khattak Ittehad had given call for the strike.

The protesters marched on the city road and blocked it at Saddam Chowk. The protesters alleged that some elements, including PTI MNA Nasir Khan Khattak, were bent upon shifting the university from the proposed site near Karak township to another place.

They resolved not to let anyone divide the district and demanded of the lawmaker to tender resignation.

Meanwhile, residents of Sangatri Mithakhel on Tuesday threatened to take to streets if gas pressure was not increased in the area.

This was announced during a meeting organised by Sangtri Welfare Society. —Correspondent

WHO urged to release funds

KOHAT, Aug 27: Kohat division commissioner Jalal ud Din on Tuesday asked the WHO and Unicef to ensure timely payment of funds so salaries could be paid to health workers of the polio campaign.

He was chairing a meeting of the divisional officers here. Deputy commissioners of Kohat, Karak and Hangu districts, executive health officers of the three districts, political agents of Orakzai and Kurram agencies and agency surgeons of Fata were also in attendance.

Mr Jalal ud Din said that the health officials should take legal action against the parents refusing to administer polio drops to their children.

He asked the polio teams to launch campaigns to create awareness among the people about the disease. Elders, clerics and politicians of the division should be involved in the campaign to make it a success,” he said. —Correspondent

Seminar on development

TIMERGARA, Aug 27: The District Development Strategy (DDS), a project of the provincial finance department, on Tuesday organised a consultative seminar to identify development potentials and opportunities in Lower Dir.

The seminar is part of the provincial government’s much publicised ‘change programme’, which is assisted by the European Union. Government officials and community representatives from the four subdivisions of the district were in attendance.

The seminar provided an opportunity to the participants to share their views and experiences on district development issues.The participants discussed matters regarding health, education, industry, water and sanitation, agriculture, forest and roads infrastructure.

On the occasion, the DDS advisor on finance Mr Jehanzeb said the programme meant to involve community in development projects and bridge gap between government officials and public representatives.

“This programme points out and addresses needs of the masses on priority bases,” said Mr Jehanzeb. —Correspondent

Journalists stage protest

GHALANAI, Aug 27: Mohmand Agency journalists on Tuesday staged protest rallies to condemn the Balochistan government for registering ‘fake’ FIRs against members of their community.

The Tribal Union of Journalists, Mohmand Agency chapter, and Mohmand Press Club staged a protest demonstration outside the local press club.

On the occasion, the protesters said that the journalists’ community would start a “Jail Bahro Tehreek” on the call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists if the cases were not withdrawn.

They said the tribal journalists were not afraid of offering court arrests. They said that their protest would continue till the withdrawal of the cases. —Correspondent