BAHAWALPUR: Heavy amounts of a number of cardholders were feared to have been withdrawn fraudulently from the ATM of the main branch of the Habib Bank Limited in Farid Gate about two weeks back.

Reports said the alleged hackers deprived a number of HBL account holders of millions of rupees. The affected people are said to have approached bank officials for compensation.

Samiullah, an affected account holder, alleged that thousands of rupees had been withdrawn from his ATM account.

HBL regional chief Syed Naeem Uzair confirmed to Dawn on mobile phone that alleged hackers had withdrawn a little amount from the ATM accounts.

He said the hackers might have used some device to withdraw cash from cardholders’ ATM who had approached the bank for re-payment.

Mr Uzair said the matter had been reported to the HBL head office in Karachi which might initiate a probe into the alleged fraud.

HAILS: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Maulana Sirajul Haq has hailed the address of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in parliament for highlighting the Kashmir issue.

Talking to reporters at the residence of JI MPA Dr Syed Waseem Akhtar here on Friday, the JI emir said Pakistan was facing many challenges on its border due to violation of ceasefire on the Line of Control by Indian forces.

He said the situation warranted that Pakistan made the struggle of Kashmiri people result-oriented. He said the government did not seem serious and it appeared that the Kashmir issue was not on its priorities.

Mr Haq regretted it appeared that the Turkish president was the guest of the prime minister and his family and not the Pakistani state.

He expressed dismay that parliamentarians wanted to meet the Turkish president, but he was strictly cordoned off on the pretext of security reasons.

“All this shows the narrow-mindedness of the rulers,” he said.

Published in Dawn November 19th, 2016