MUZAFFARGARH: The District Election Commission has been occupying the classrooms of the Government High School Talkot for the last nine years.

An education official said to this correspondent on Saturday that in 2010 the district election commissioner approached the school seeking rooms for few days to store material. The headmaster lent him two newly-constructed rooms, which are still occupied by the election staff.

Education officials contacted Deputy Commissioner Dr Ehtasham Anwar for help, who took up the issue with the office of provincial and federal election commissioners but to no avail. Children continue to stuffer because of the shortage of rooms.

The Talkot school is facing the shortage of classrooms as students have to sit under trees.

District Election Commissioner Chaudhry Mohammad Akram said that he had sent a lease agreement to his senior officials for approval as he wanted a long-term rent agreement with the school management. He said the commission would not leave thee rooms. He said the commission office had been established in the school when he joined it years ago. Students and the school management appealed to the chief election commissioner to take action against officials.

CASE: The police resolved the kidnapping plot of Saifur Rehman and arrested him who faked his own kidnapping to mint a Rs700,000 ransom from his father.

On March 25, Khizer Hayat, of Shehr Sultan, alerted the police that his son Saif had been kidnapped. District Police Officer Ghazi Salahuddin tasked DSP Rehan Rasool with the recovery task. The police traced Saif who was living with a friend.

He confessed to calling to his father for ransom. Mr Salahuddin ordered the police to register a case against Saif for false kidnap case. At open courts in Jatoi and Daira Din Pannah this week, he said first information reports would be registered without any bribe or politicians’ references.

He said in an e-khidmat centre had been set up at the Muzaffargarh DHQ Hospital to pride dockets to rap, fight and accident victims.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2019