Fake factory sealed

PESHAWAR, Sept 15: The administration on Thursday raided a fake tea leaves factory on Ashraf Road, seized different items and arrested the accused who were involved in the process.

An official told this correspondent on Thursday the raiding party led by DCO Seraj Ahmed and special magistrate Habib Arif, on a tip-off, raided the factory where fake tea leaves were prepared and supplied to markets.

The accused, including Syed Zia Ahmed Shah, Mumtaz and Hanif, were arrested on the spot. The material seized also included different chemicals. —Bureau Report

Ad-hoc lecturers

PESHAWAR, Sept 15: The Ad-hoc Lecturers Association (ALA) has demanded of the provincial government to immediately regularise the services of 458 ad-hoc lecturers who have been working since 2004.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar press club on Thursday, the lecturers’ chief organiser Qazi Zafar Iqbal claimed all the lecturers had been appointed on merit and 70 of them were gold medalists.

He said education department in November 2010 had appointed 458 lecturers on ad-hoc basis in different colleges of the province to fill the vacant posts of lecturers, including 106 female lecturers.

Mr Qazi said the government had regularised the contract lecturers. —Bureau Report

Police efficiency

KOHAT, Sept 15: The DIG Police, Kohat region, Masood Ahmed Afridi, has stressed on increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of police for curbing crime and restoring government writ in restive areas.

The DIG was addressing a meeting of the officers here on Thursday, which was attended by DPOs of Kohat, Hangu and Karak and the investigation officers of these districts.

Mr Afridi reviewed the progress reports of the officers about law and order situation in their respective districts. He said measures were being taken to enhance the capacity of Kohat city police station, KDA Town, Doaba in Hangu and Karak city besides Ghamkol and Darmalak checkposts. —Correspondent

Road accident claims life

KOHAT, Sept 15: A man was killed while two others, including a woman, were injured when a pick-up van hit a cycle on Dhoda road on Thursday.

The victim was identified as Sardar Khan of Bahadar Kot village who was riding a bicycle with his wife. The victim’s wife and the driver of the pick-up Momin Khan sustained injuries and were taken to hospital.

Meanwhile, a man killed his brother over family dispute in Amin Abad colony on Rawalpindi road on Thursday.

The accused Talah Mohammad shot dead his brother Khwaja Mohammad after a brawl and escaped, police said. —Correspondent

Irrigation channel

CHITRAL, Sept 15: The residents of Mulkhow area have demanded of the government not to change the take-off point of the under-construction irrigation channel of Atahk as it will affect the utility of the project.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, the elders of the area said the irrigation department had already utilised Rs140 million on the project during last five years.

They said now some elements were trying to prevail upon the department to change the alignment of the channel and lower its tail point to below 11,200 feet. They added a detailed soil testing and analysis of the site had been carried out. —Correspondent

UoP teachers awarded

PESHAWAR, Sept 15: The Pakistan Council for Science and Technology has granted research productivity awards to 25 teachers of the University of Peshawar for the year 2011.

The certificates were distributed at a ceremony held in the Area Study Centre of the varsity on Thursday. Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Azmat Hayat Khan gave away the PCST certificates to the award winners, according to a press release.

The number of award winning scientists of the University of Peshawar is the highest among all universities this year with 21 having been selected in chemical, two in earth and one each in environmental and biological sciences, respectively. —Bureau Report

Strike against new tax

PESHAWAR, Sept 15: Commission Agents Association of Vegetable Market will hold a complete strike today (Friday) against the levy of loading unloading tax by the Town-IV TMA.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar press club on Thursday the association’s president Malik Sohni said they were already paying taxes and the now the Town-IV administration had also started collecting loading unloading tax from them.

“The tax has been levied in violation of a commitment made with us by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister,” he claimed and added a delegation of the association had also met the Senior Minister Bashir Bilour but to no avail. —Bureau Report

Attack condemned

PESHAWAR, Sept 15: The Khyber Union of Journalists has strongly condemned assault on a journalist based in Abbottabad by unknown people on Tuesday night.

In a press statement on Thursday KhUJ president Arshad Aziz Malik and general secretary Yousaf Ali said the incidents of attacks on journalists had shown surge across the country particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

They said the attack on Ihsan Mohammad Khan was the fourth incident of journalists’ harassment in the province during the past four weeks.

They demanded of the government to take effective measures for protection of journalists. They demanded arrest of the assailants. —Bureau Report

Istehkam-i-Pakistan moot

PESHAWAR, Sept 15: Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat has alleged that foreign spy agencies are bent upon weakening the country. It also announced to hold Istehkam-i-Pakistan conference at Islamabad on October 6 to create awareness among the masses about what it termed an ‘international conspiracy’.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar press club on Thursday the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat central spokesman Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqui said the organisation had already launched a mass awareness drive about the programme across the country.

He expressed hope that thousands of people would attend the day-long conference. —Bureau Report