MANSEHRA, Dec 31: Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan has said year 2011 would be corruption-free in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“We are going to take stern action to eradicate corruption from all government departments and judiciary and year-2011 would be corruption-free in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said Justice Afzal while addressing lawyers and media at district bar here on Friday.

The president of the district bar association Shahjahan Khan Swati was also present on the occasion.

Justice Afzal said that quick disposal of justice and corruption-free society was the priority of the judiciary and he would practically prove it.

He said that the second phase of expelling corrupt judges would be started without any discrimination. He said that charge sheets will be given to the accused judges and if they could not prove themselves innocent then they would be taken to task.“I had remained an active lawyer for two and half decades and was well-aware 'who is corrupt and who is not' and action would be initiated against judges of bad reputation,” the PHC chief justice vowed. BLAST:

A blast caused by gas leak in a local hotel left one person dead and another injured on Friday.

The blast occurred in the wagon stand area after a man identified as Mohammad Amjid lit a gas heater in a room of the hotel. The fire engulfed the whole building.

Mohammad Amjid and another person Mohammad Riaz were seriously injured and were taken to the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital where Mohammad Amjid succumbed to injuries. The condition of Riaz was stated to be critical.

The fire tender reached the spot and extinguished the fire but not before two rooms of the hotel were destroyed. JI CLAIM:

The Jamaat-i-Islami amir Munawwar Hassan has claimed that both Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and Muttahida Qaumi Movement are acting on the advice of President Asif Ali Zardari.

“I want to make it clear that neither the government will go nor any in-house change will happen as both the MQM and JUI-F are working on the advice of President Zardari,” said Munawwar Hassan while addressing a press conference at Markaz-i-Islami on Friday.

Provincial amir of Jamaat Senator Prof Ibrahim, district amir Dr Tariq Sherazi and Yunus Khattak were also present. Munawwar Hassan said that the country was passing through a critical juncture as the government was toeing American line, adding, innocent people were being killed in drone attacks.

To a question, he said people had lost trust in the leadership of both MQM and PML-N as the two parties were leveling serious allegations against each other.

About JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman's role as the chairman of the Kashmir Committee, the JI amir said that the Maulana had not played his due role to highlight the atrocities committed by the Indian security forces against Kashmiris