TOBA TEK SINGH: Faisalabad Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Javed Iqbal Sheikh issued non-bailable arrest warrants on Tuesday for four senior PTI leaders -- opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate Umer Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz, PTI Women Wing Central President Kanwal Shouzeb and former federal information minister Fawad Chaudhry.

Malik Khalid Shafiq, PTI’s legal team head, informed reporters that his applications for exemptions from court appearances for the four leaders were rejected.

The court scheduled hearings for FIR No 732 on Jan 15, while cases for FIR Nos 832, 835, and 1,277 will be heard on Jan 22 and 23.

Judge Sheikh announced that these cases will now be heard separately from other accused. Charges for those regularly appearing in court have already been framed, while absent accused have been summoned for future proceedings. All cases pertain to Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) for riots following PTI founder Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9, 2023.

SUSPENDED: The Punjab secretary of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education suspended three doctors of Faisalabad’s Children Hospital on Tuesday for an FIR against them over raping a woman security guard at the hospital.

FIA: Faisalabad Federal Investigation Agency arrested Iqbal Hussain and Amjad Ali, accused of extorting millions from people under false promises of overseas work permits.

An FIA spokesperson said that Hussain was already declared a proclaimed offender in a similar case.

Raids are underway to apprehend their accomplices.

BURNT: Three workers suffered severe burns after boiling water spilled on them during work at a textile dyeing factory on Shabbir Shah Road, Faisalabad, on Tuesday.

Muhammad Naveed, Kashif Ali, and Muhammad Zuhaib were rushed to the burn unit at the Allied Hospital.

ACCIDENT: A 26-year-old youth, Muhammad Anas of Johar Town, succumbed to injuries after being hit by a National Textile University bus near Ghaziabad on Millat Road, Faisalabad, on Tuesday.

In a separate incident in Mian Channu, Khanewal, dense fog caused a head-on collision between a crane and a mini-truck near Chak 119/15-L, resulting in the death of Sajjad (40) and serious injuries to Asghar (34).

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2025