LOWER DIR: The Lower Dir administration on Tuesday sealed 12 marble factories for not complying with the Standard Operating Procedures and parameters set by the Environmental Protection Agency, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Additional assistant commissioner, Timergara, Shawana Haleem along with assistant director industries Mohammad Ibrahim, assistant director mines and a representative of EPA-KP sealed the factories.

The officials also directed the police to register FIRs against the owners.

Talking to journalists, Ms Haleem said the crackdown on marble factories would continue till the units complied with the SOPs to protect the environment from degradation.

WORKSHOP: The population welfare department organised a workshop for the male family welfare assistants (FWAs) on Tuesday to build their capacities on data collection technique for the upcoming reproductive health survey in the district.

Speaking on the occasion, district population welfare officer Syed Mohammad Usman directed the FWAs to show professionalism and zeal during the data collection.

Deputy demographer, Swat, Dr Badshah Mohammad, who was the resource person, educated the participants about collecting data, and asked them to collect the required data through filling the questionnaires from the target population.

MEETING: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl provincial chief Senator Maulana Attaur Rehman has alleged elements inside and outside the country are sponsoring the public rallies of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan.

He was addressing a meeting of the JUI-F district and tehsil office-bearers from Malakand division at the Chakdara Fishing Hut the other day.

Mr Atta, who is brother of party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, said the Pakistan Democratic Movement had buried the politics of abuse and derogation in the country by ousting Imran Khan from the prime minister’s office through constitutional and democratic way.

He alleged the former premier had gone insane after losing his office and now he wanted to create anarchy in the country.

Mr Atta said no one was safe from the derogatory and abusive language of Imran Khan.

The JUI-F leader announced that his party was going to hold a conference in Peshawar on May 21 in the wake of the Masjid-i-Nabwi incident.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2022