SARGODHA: A suspect allegedly involved in several cases of extortion, murder and robbery across various districts was killed ‘in firing by his own accomplice’.

Reports said a Bhagtanwala police team tried to stop two motorcycle riders at a blockade near 78 Bridge. The riders ignored the blockade and fled towards Mithalak. Police chased the suspects, who began firing at the officials. The chase continued, with the suspects firing from hiding spots in bushes near the Mithalak area under the jurisdiction of Saddar police station.

The police returned fire in self-defence. When the gunfire ceased, officials conducted a search operation and found a deceased individual, later identified as Khurram Shahzad, a resident of 89 NB. Police claim he was killed by gunfire from his accomplice.

Upon checking records, Khurram Shahzad was found to be involved in several cases, including murder, extortion, robbery, and other crimes in different districts. Special teams have been formed to arrest the absconding accomplice of the suspect.

FIRE: A fire broke out in the forest of Soan Sarki Valley. Nowshera Station House Officer Malik Ilyas Awan along with his team reached the spot and the fire was extinguished after a couple of hours.

ROBBERY: In Shahpur, step-sons allegedly looted jewellery worth Rs8.4 million from their widowed mother and staged it as a robbery.

The Shahpur City Police, after conducting an investigation, uncovered the stolen jewellery by digging up a grave. They recovered 31 tolas of jewellery and registered a case against the suspects. SHO Asad Hayat Bhuwana returned the recovered valuables to the elderly woman.

convocation: More than 27,000 students were awarded degrees, 69 per cent of them being female, at the the three-day 11th Convocation of the University of Sargodha (UoS), which concluded here on Thursday.

The ceremony was presided over by Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Qaisar Abbas, while Punjab Zakat and Ushr Council Chairman Rana Munawwar Ghous was the chief guest.

Asim Naveed Ranjha, Deputy Mayor of Slough, UK, Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mian Ghulam Yasin, Controller Examinations Dr Rihana Ilyas, Registrar Waqar Ahmed, Deans of eight faculties, and heads of departments also attend the ceremony.

On the third and last day of the convocation, degrees were conferred upon students from the faculties of Social Sciences, Computing and Information Technology, Medical and Health Sciences, and Pharmacy.

A total of 363 distinction holders and 55 PhD graduates were honored with medals and cash awards for their outstanding academic achievements during the event. Addressing the ceremony, VC Dr Abbas shared his vision for the university, focusing on academic excellence and innovation.

“We are committed to providing students with opportunities that align with modern educational and industry needs. The establishment of an incubation centre, strong industry-academia linkages, and foreign partnerships are steps toward building a brighter future,” he stated.

Neither the Punjab governor/chancellor, nor the higher education minister attended the event.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2024