No clue to kidnapped youth

Published June 17, 2005

FAISALABAD, June 16: Police are still clueless about the abducted son of a local industrialist despite the passage of 48 hours. Sources said that the police were in a fix after knowing about the confinement of Farhatullah in some tribal area near Peshawar. They said that telephone calls for ransom received by relatives of the abducted youth were also made from the tribal area.

They said that after the intimation to the police about the kidnapping of the boy, the abductors have so far made no contact with parents, causing apprehensions for both the police and the victim family.

Farhatullah (24) was kidnapped by armed men when he was going to the market from his house by a car. The kidnappers had demanded Rs50 million ransom for the release of the youth.

UAF VC: University of Agriculture Vice-Chancellor Dr. Bashir Ahmed on Thursday feared that the agrarian and livestock economy would face a huge financial loss if measures were not adopted to save cattle.

Speaking at a seminar on ‘Production recording of Sahiwal cattle in Pakistan’ held here at the university, the vice-chancellor claimed that the livestock had a 50 per cent share in the agrarian economy, but only 10 per cent of the total agricultural budget was allocated for it.

In 1996, there were 1,170,000 cows of Sahiwal breed in the country which came down to 350,000 in 2000 and further declined to only 150,000 in 2004, he said.

The VC said the Sahiwal cattle breed could compete with imported breeds such as Holstein, Jersey and their crossbreeds.

“The crossbreeds produce more than double milk than that of Sahiwal, but they eat more and are prone to diseases.”

He said the Punjab government had recently set up a research centre for increasing productivity of the Sahiwal breed and this step would help make the breed more competitive.

He stressed the need for taking joint steps by scientists, researchers, livestock farmers and government officials to save cattle.

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