BAHAWALPUR: An American puma died at the local zoo on Thursday after brief illness.

Zoo Curator Ali Usman Bokhari told Dawn that the puma was nine years old and shifted from Lahore in 2014 to the Bahawalpur zoo.

She had suffered strokes of epilepsy many times in the past and this was the cause of her death.

The curator said the zoo had a puma pair and the female during her captivity gave birth to three cubs that could not survive due to harsh summer weather conditions.

He said a postmortem examination confirmed fits of epilepsy.

SERAIKI DAY: The Bahawalpur Arts Council (BAC) on Friday observed Seraiki Day.

The BAC organised a function including an exhibition of the local handicraft.

Commissioner Asif Iqbal Chaudhry, BAC Director Rana Aijaz Mehmood, Zahoor Dhareja, Dr Nasrullah Nasir and others spoke about the importance of mother languages.

The commissioner said Cholistan was the biggest cradle of the Seraiki culture and language while great Sufi saint Khwaja Ghulam Farid was the voice of the language.

He observed that all the mother languages should be part of the curricula in all schools.

Later, the commissioner led a walk to highlight the significance of the day.

RENOVATION: The main entrance points of the three district headquarters in the division would be renovated and new gates built.

This was decided at a meeting held here. Commissioner Asif Iqbal Chaudhry chaired the meeting.

The gates would be built with the assistance of the Municipal Metropolitan Corporation, Bahawalpur and the buildings department.

Besides, the administration would also plan the construction of 200 flats to meet the residential requirements of the government employees.

The commissioner directed the officials to search suitable land around the city for the purpose.

PROMOTION: Forty-eight employees of the prison department were promoted following a meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) here on Friday.

According to DIG prisons Mohsin Rafiq, 41 warders were promoted as head warders and the seven head warders were promoted to the rank of chief warders.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2020