MANSEHRA: A fire gutted five residential quarters in the police lines here on Monday.

However, no damage to life was reported as the police moved the families of their officers living there out.

Public relations officer of the police department Mohammad Sohail told reporters that the fire destroyed millions of rupees worth of household goods in all five residential quarters.

He said the accident was reportedly caused by electrical short-circuit.

Mr Sohail said five fire tenders of the Tehsil Municipal Administration extinguished the fire before it could gut the offices and police training school.

He said the police high-ups had ordered inquiry into the incident to ascertain the exact cause for it.

PML-N CANDIDATE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has empowered former federal minister Sardar Mohammad Yousuf to name the party candidate for the upcoming by-election in the PK-30 constituency.

The decision in this respect was made during a meeting held in Balakot here with Sardar Yousuf in the chair on Monday.

Among participants were Mian Ziaur Rehman, who was disqualified as MPA by the Supreme Court in a fake degree case.

The seat had fallen vacant after the disqualification of the PML-N MPA earlier this year.

The participants discussed aspirants for the election to be held in Feb 20.

According to the schedule, the nomination papers for the by-election can be filed with the returning office from Dec 26 to January 1.

“Now, Sardar Mohammad Yousuf will decide about the candidate as we want this constituency to continue to be with us,” said local PML-N leader Qazi Sadiq, who attended the meeting.

Chief Minister Mehmood Khan has reportedly approved former PPP divisional president and provincial minister Ahmad Hussain Shah as the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate for the by-election.Ahmad Hussain Shah had lost the last election to Mian Ziaur Rehman by 270 votes.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2018