MANSEHRA: A local court has acquitted Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F leader Mufti Kifayatullah in cases of the standard operating procedure violation and hate speech.

He was arrested by the police in last April after he led the funeral prayer of his party’s deputy district emir, Maulana Abdul Aziz, who died of coronavirus.

Civil judge Sajjad Khan heard arguments of both sides and dismissed case against Mufti Kifayatullah.

He was booked for violating the Covid-19 standard operating procedures and for delivering a hate speech.

The JUI-F leader said the hate speech charge was false as he just asked people to continue going to mosques following SOPs instead of abandoning places of worship over pandemic fears.

DEMOLISHED: The district administration launched an anti-encroachment drive here on Wednesday and demolished 36 illegal shops and buildings on Badra Road and adjacent markets.

Led by assistant commissioner Javed Khan, officials of the tehsil municipal administration, police, district administration and other departments participated in the exercise.

“We will pull down all buildings illegally put up in Mansehra city and its suburbs,” Mr Javed said.

He said the administration had already issued notices to land encroachers for the voluntary demolition of illegal buildings and those not acting accordingly faced action.

ANOTHER DEATH: Death toll from the Shania Bala Dodial house collapse incident reached four on Wednesday as another girl died of critical injuries in the hospital.

Three girls and a boy, all cousins, were buried alive when the boundary wall of the second storey of the house collapsed on Tuesday evening.

Published in Dawn, October 1st , 2020