MANSEHRA: A local court has issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmakers, chief engineer works and communication department and patwaris for changing the PC-I of a road project being executed in Ghanool valley of Balakot tehsil.

Civil judge Wahaj Ali Shah issued the warrants for PTI MPA and adviser to the chief minister on population Ahmad Hussain Shah, federal parliamentary secretary on water resources MNA Salah Mohammad Khan, the sub-divisional officer C&W and patwaris of the Ghanool circle on the attempt of court charges.

The judge also ordered the police to produce all the absconders before him handcuffed on March 6, next month.

Petitioners Mohammad Asif Khan and others had moved court last year pleading that minister Atif Khan had approved a 15km road with an initial cost of Rs440 million to promote tourism in Ghanool valley, but PC-I of that project was changed by the people with vested interests.

They had stated that PTI lawmakers Ahmad Hussain Shah and Salah Mohammad Khan in connivance with officials of the C&W and revenue department had not only changed the PC-I (project cost) of the road but reduced its distance from 15km to 9km.

“The cost of this highly important road was cut from Rs440 million to Rs320 million,” the petitioners had pleaded.

On August 14 last year, the court had stopped execution of the project, and ordered all the respondents in the case to appear before him on August 18, but none of them appeared.

TWO KILLED: A man was killed and four policemen sustained critical injuries when a police patrol vehicle plunged into a ravine in Datta area on Wednesday.

The vehicle was on way back to Mansehra from Datta after completing an investigation into a case when the driver couldn’t hold control over the steering while negotiating a sharp turn.

The locals shifted the injured to the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, where doctors pronounced Salahudden as dead.

The injured were referred to Ayub Medical Complex Hospital, Abbottabad.

In another incident, a man was killed and four others were injured when a mini truck collided with a car in Pattan area of Lower Kohistan. The deceased was named Mohammad Deen, the car driver.

The police shifted the injured to the Civil Hospital Pattan. The police lodged FIR and started further investigations.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2021