BAHAWALPUR: The Pakistan Seraiki Party (PSP) on Sunday protested against the provincial government for banning the Punjab Textbook Board geography book containing map of non-existing Seraikistan and Hazara provinces.

Several activists assembled at the Khatme-i-Nabbuwat Chowk and protested against the withdrawal of the books from stores and institutes.

The demonstrators, led by party President Jam Yasir and General Secretary Allama Iqbal Waseam, shouted slogans and held banners and placards against the government. They said the government had wrongly banned the book and ordered a judicial inquiry into publishing of the map showing Seraikistan and Hazara provinces in it. They commended the book’s author who, according to them, reflected the aspirations, feelings and demands of the people of Seraiki belt.

The demonstrators demanded the government withdraw its orders to ban the book from schools.

ACCIDENTS: Four people were killed and eight injured in two separate incidents at Channi Goth and Hasilpur on Sunday.

In an accident on Karachi-Lahore-Peshawar road near Channi Goth, about 70km from here, two people were killed when a wagon going from Alipur to Sadiqabad hit a tree on the roadside near Boharwala Bridge. The accident occurred when driver Ahmed alias Mitha lost control over the vehicle in a bid to avoid a ditch on the road.

Ahmed and a passenger were killed on the spot, while five other, Shaista Bibi, Jahangir, Sajid, Mukhtiar Ali and Sudhair sustained injuries.

In Hasilpur, about 90km from here, two people were killed while three others seriously injured in a crossfire between two rival groups over illegal possession of state land worth millions of rupees.

Hasilpur police claimed to have arrested six people allegedly involved in the incident. Police sent the bodies for post-mortem.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2015

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