TOBA TEK SINGH: PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday visited the families of stray kite string victim and two sanitary workers in Faisalabad.

Maryam and Nawaz went to the house of deceased Muhammad Asif in Samanabad locality who died after a kite string slit open his throat on Saturday near Novelty overhead bridge on Dijkot road.

They offered fateha and condoled with Muhammad Ashfaq, father of Asif.

Asif’s parents demanded that the government take steps so that in future no human loss took place.

The CM said all those involved in manufacturing, sale and purchase of metal string and kites would be dealt with an iron hand.

Five suspects involved in man’s death arrested

Senior provincial minister Maryam Aurangzeb, CM’s adviser Pervez Rashid and IG Dr Usman Anwar were also present. IG Dr Usman apprised the CM and Nawaz Sharif that all suspects involved in supply, sale and purchase of metal string from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been traced and majority of them were arrested.

Maryam and Nawaz went to Maqbool Town (Chak 100 JB) and condoled the death of two Wasa sanitary workers who had lost their lives a few days ago when they were cleaning a choked sewer line of a wedding hall.

In the end, the father-daughter duo held a meeting with parliamentarians, party ticket holders and officers at airport’s VIP lounge where the RPO, commissioner, CPO and DC were also present.

Addressing the meeting, Maryam said metro bus system and 100 Speedo buses are being planned for Faisalabad.

She said all rural health centres and basic health units across the province would be revamped within six months while availability of 100 per cent free medicines would also be ensured and home delivery of free medicines to patients would be started soon.

She said safe city projects in 18 cities and establishment of waste management system on public-private mode in all 36 districts would be completed in the next three months.

Meanwhile, factory area police in Faisalabad arrested on Monday five suspects who were allegedly involved in sale, purchase and use of metal string and kites that caused the death of a young man, Asif, by a string on Saturday.

A police spokesperson identified the suspects as Abid Gujjar of Sir Syed Town, Zeeshan and Attiq of Nisar Colony and Bilal and Shakoor of Nawabwala.

He said the main suspect, Abid Gujjar, a steel workshop owner, had confessed to flying the kite with a metal string from the roof of a bank on Dijkot Road that cut the throat of Asif.

Police recovered the burnt stock of kites and strings which Abid had set ablaze to remove proof of his crime, the spokesperson said and added that Abid had purchased kites and strings through Attiq who had bought them from Zeeshan.

On the other hand, Zeeshan told the investigators that he was supplied with kites and strings by Bilal and Shakoor. After a probe, the police arrested all five of them.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2024