MANSEHRA: An international delegation visited Ashoka rocks along the Karakoram Highway here and showed keen interest in edicts on them.

The delegation, which is visiting the area to attend 10th National Convention on the Students’ Quality Circle in Abbottabad, also went to the hujra of elder Akbar Khan Swati and lauded culture and traditions.

Led by secretary general of the World Assembly of Youths Ediola Pashollari, the delegates included citizens of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Jordan, UK, Germany,China, Ireland and Albania.

Also laud local culture, traditions

They attended an event hosted for them at the Mansehra Public School and College, where principal Umar Khan Swati and Jinnah School and College Principal Fayyaz Khan welcomed them.

The students presented skits and tableaus highlighting local tradition and culture.

Ediola Pashollari said he was much impressed by hospitality of the locals.

He said edicts written on the centuries old Ashoka rocks were a masterpiece.

Another delegate and founding director of Saithya Sai School Thailand Art Ong Humsai admired the relics showing the message of peace and kindness towards animal.

Principal Umar said Pakistan was enriched with heavens like beauty and ancient culture.

STRIKE THREATENED: The Suki Kanari hydropower project’s workers have announced that they will go on strike today (Saturday) against the denial of appropriate wages and incentives.

The 840 megawatts project is being executed on the Kunhar River in Kaghan area under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative.

Labour leader Tahir Hussain Shah told reporters here on Friday that the Chinese company working on the project had been flouting national and international labour laws to deny market-based wages and other incentives to labourers.

He said the company had accepted their demands when labourers went on strike earlier this year but it later didn’t act accordingly.

Also in the day, a delegation of Shaheen Labour Union met assistant commissioner of Balakot Imran Khan Jadoon and apprised him of their problems.

Mr Jadoon asked visitors not to observe strike and said he would take up their grievances with the company for action.

ASSAULT SUSPECT HELD: The police arrested a man for sexually assaulting a woman in Khail area of Oghi tehsil here on Friday.

The arrest was made after the woman reported the assault.

She alleged that her husband’s cousin, Sher Mohammad, sexually assaulted her at gunpoint after barging into her house.

The woman said the assaulter threatened to kill her sleeping eight-year-old son when she put up resistance.

She said her husband was settled in Saudi Arabia for employment.

SHO of the Oghi police Nasir Khan said an inquiry had been launched into the incident.

He said a local court had given the suspect into the police’s custody on two-day physical remand.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2018