MIANWALI: Residents of the Mianwali area may have the facility of the passport office if it becomes functional in June. MNA Haji Ubaidullah Khan Shadikhel claims that arrangements have been made and staff members have been appointed to run the office.

Talking to Dawn on Sunday, he said Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar was expected to inaugurate the office in the first week of June.

Haji Ajmal Khan, owner of the building that has the passport office, confirmed the news, saying he had a meeting with director general of Immigration and Passport who promised to clear more than Rs2 million rent arrears of the building, making the office functional within a few weeks.

It may be recalled that on March 28, 2009, the Immigration and Passports Headquarters had hired the building for Rs40,000 per month. However, it was kept shut.

The office was again inaugurated in February 2013. The staff arrived but never started work as thumb impression machines were dysfunctional. Some days later, the office was locked once again.

POLICE: Punjab Inspector General of Police Khan Beg Khan issued orders for arrest of the suspects booked in all the districts of Sargodha division.

He was presiding over a meeting attended by Additional IG Patrol Police Sohail Khan, RPO Ahmed Ishaq Jahangir and district police officers of Sargodha, Bhakkar, Khushab and Mianwali.

Later, the IGP visited the boundary checkposts of the district besides river checkposts around the Indus in a boat. He also checked the security arrangements of Chinese engineers working at Chashma and Kalabagh and directed the officers to make foolproof security arrangements at all checkposts along the border of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2014