GUJRANWALA, March 11: The Anti-Terrorism Court No 1 dismissed the plea of the father of slain judge Shehar Yar Bukhari demanding cancellation of the bails of senior police officers and other accused in Sialkot jail riots case here on Saturday.

The deceased judge’s father, Advocate Ghulam Abbas Bukhari, was of the view that as most of the case witnesses held the police officers responsible for launching an operation in the jail without the permission of Lahore High Court, their bails should be cancelled.

The defence counsel, opposing the plea, submitted that the bail applications of senior police officers were accepted by the Supreme Court which could not be cancelled by a lower court.

The ATC judge, Mujahid Mustaqim, rejected the plea of Mr Bukhari.

The prosecution rejected the evidence of two of the case witnesses, Munawar Warriach and Azhar Dyal, saying that they had links with the accused party.

The court summoned Adiala Jail Superintendent Shaukat Feroze and former president of Sialkot bar association Safdar Basra as witnesses on the next hearing. The court adjourned the case hearing till March 17 and March 18.

Wapda: There will be no power load shedding this summer, and a new power house near Nandipur, besides a 500kv grid station at Ghakkhar town, will be constructed to meet an increasing load pressure.

Wapda Chairman Tariq Hamid told the industrialists and members of chamber of commerce during his visit to the industrial exhibition as chief guest here on Saturday.

He stated that industrial connections would be provided on priority basis for promotion of industry.

He said Wapda would provide land and other facilities to the private investors for construction of Nandipur powerhouse, and if no suitable party could be found willing to carry out the project, the authority would itself undertake it.

He said the project, after its completion, would supply power to the industrial units of Gujranwala and Sialkot.

He claimed that the work on Rawat-Ghakkhar transmission line would be completed within the current month, while the 500KV grid station at Ghakkhar town would be built in one year.

He appreciated the quality of the products displayed on the occasion.