TOBA TEK SINGH: Scores of citizens of Pirmahal and people from surrounding villages staged on Tuesday a protest demonstration against the provincial highways department and the contractor of Pirmahal-Bhussi Road for non-completion of its construction and blocked the road.

Among the protesters were also local leaders of the PML-N, PTI, PPP and Jamaat-i-Islami.

They told reporters that a contract worth Rs320 million started several months ago, but after laying stone the contractor stopped work three months ago.

They said the highways department had failed to force the contractor to complete the construction of the road.

A highways department official claimed the construction of the road had been suspended due to non-availability of funds. He said for the first phase of laying stone, only Rs40 million were released and the remaining work would be started as soon as more funds were available.

PROTEST: Scores of people blocked traffic at Faisalabad Zila Council Chowk on Tuesday by putting the body of a murdered man after the police refused to register a murder case.

They said Muhammad Ilyas was taken by Sultan Mahmood to the Factory Area police locality to attack his second wife’s house as she had filed a dissolution of marriage suit. Sultan first shot dead his brother-in-law Khizar Abbas and also killed Ilyas to put the charge of his murder on his in-laws.

The protesters demanded a separate murder case against Sultan.

Police officers held talks and apprised them that registration of two FIRs was impossible under the law, however, their separate version would be added to the FIR, over which they dispersed.

IGP: Punjab police IG Rao Sardar Ali visited on Tuesday the house of an official who died in a police bus accident at Attock on May 25.

He offered fateha for deceased Mudassar Iqbal in his village Chak 109-RB near Sahianwala with his family. He also went to his grave and laid a wreath on it.

DEATH: Gojra Additional District and Sessions Judge Mian Javed Akram Beetu handed down on Tuesday death sentence and a fine of Rs500,000 to a man.

According to the Gojra Saddar police FIR, last year in Chak 417-JB convict Muhammad Akmal shot dead Adeel Ahmad over a property dispute.

The court acquitted co-accused Javed Iqbal on the benefit of the doubt.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2022