Man drowns

NOWSHERA, Dec 8: A man drowned in the Kabul River when he fell from a chairlift at Mesri Banda here on Thursday.

Eyewitnesses said Raj Mohammad, resident of Mesri Banda, was crossing the Kabul River in the chairlift when he lost balance and fell into the river. Local divers, later, fished out the body and handed it over to the relatives.

In another incident, a labourer was killed when a huge rock fell on him at a stone crushing factory at Akora Khattak on Thursday.

According to eyewitnesses, Ameer Zada was working at the factory when a huge rock struck him. —Correspondent

Five injured on road

GHALANAI, Dec 8: Five people, including a child, were injured when a passenger coach collided with a car on Bajaur-Gandhab road in Mohmand Agency on Thursday.

Sources said the coach (P-5531) rammed into the car (B-1722) in the Ghazi Kore area of Haleemzai tehsil. The injured were taken to hospital here.

Meanwhile, security forces defused an improvised explosive device in Aypi Kore area of Pandiali tehsil on Thursday, officials said.

Meanwhile, a free medical camp was organised by frontier primary healthcare at Mamad Gat and Daag Chinari Masood areas of Safi tehsil. Doctors examined at least 100 patients and provided them medicines. —Correspondent

NGO official recovered

PESHAWAR, Dec 8: Cantonment police recovered an official of an NGO, Dost Foundation, and arrested two alleged kidnappers.

Speaking at a press conference at Malik Saad Khan Police Lines on Thursday Cantonment Circle SP Dr Mian Saeed Ahmed said the official Ismail Khan had been kidnapped for ransom while he was on way from his office to home a few weeks ago.

“Following information, police raided a house at Yaseen town in Regi village and recovered the victim,” he said and added the accused Khan Zeb and Alam Zeb of Shahi Bala village had been arrested. Two pistols were also recovered from them.

The police also recovered a jeep owned by the NGO and registered case against the accused. —Bureau Report

Tribesmen plan protest

LANDI KOTAL, Dec 8: Tehrik-i-Mutasereen Khyber Agency (TMKA) will stage a protest demonstration at the Khyber House, Peshawar on Dec 12 to press for the acceptance of their demands.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of TMKA held in Bara the other day, which was attended by traders, students, teachers, political activists and elders. TMKA chairman Shah Faisal Afridi presided over the meeting.

The meeting demanded of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority to award the status of internally displaced persons to all those affected by the military operation.

Through resolutions the meeting demanded reopening of all the business centres in Bara, compensation to the militancy-hit traders, and reinstatement of the sacked khasadar personnel. —Correspondent

MoU affiliation

KOHAT, Dec 8: The Kohat Institute of Medical Sciences has been formally affiliated with Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, to fulfill a longstanding demand of the students.

Officials on Thursday said the affiliation of Kohat Institute of Medical Sciences was transferred from the Kohat University of Science and Technology to the Khyber Medical University at a ceremony held at Governor House in Peshawar.

KMU vice-chancellor Prof Dr Hafeezullah and KUST vice-chancellor Prof Dr Nasir Jamal Khattak signed the transfer deed.

Minister for Health Syed Zahir Ali Shah, Minister for Higher Education Qazi Mohammad Asad, provincial secretaries of the respective departments were also present. —Correspondent

UN peace mission

PESHAWAR, Dec 8: Of the 1,300 applicants belonging to different law enforcement agencies 381 have been selected to be sent abroad on UN peace keeping mission.

An official said five patrolling officers of the highway police, Peshawar, including Akbar Khan, Asad Khan, Irfan Faisal, Zaheer and Arif Mehmood, had also been selected for the mission.

He said the applicants belonged to police, FIA, IB of different provinces. He said they would be sent to different countries for one year. —Bureau Report

University act

PESHAWAR, Dec 8: Executive committee of the Peshawar University Teachers Association has demanded passage of the university act from the provincial assembly immediately.

The committee, which met here on Thursday, expressed concern that the bill, which was drafted with consensus, had been pending before the assembly, causing uncertainty among the teaching and administrative staff, according to a press release.

The meeting was informed that governor, chief minister, speaker and minister for higher education were being approached to pass the bill from the assembly in the upcoming session. —Bureau Report

Man abducted

KARAK, Dec 8: A man was abducted allegedly by his rivals over a monetary dispute in the Bahadarkhel area on Thursday.

Eyewitnesses said some kidnappers took away Rasool Khan at gunpoint from the Bahadarhhel bus stand in broad daylight. According to locals, the victim had some monetary dispute with the kidnappers.

The incident occurred in the limits of Khurram Mohammadzai police station. Sources said the relatives of Rasool Khan had not approached the police to register the case. —Correspondent

School reopened

MANSEHRA, Dec 8: Police on Thursday reopened a school, which had been locked by a man to protest appointment of another man as watchman of the school.

“Police reopened the middle school for girls in Morbaffa after breaking the lock and booked the culprit on the complaint of the school headmistress,” said Umer Khan Kundi, EDO education, while talking to journalists here.

Mohammad Fiaz had locked the building of the only middle school for girls in Morbaffa after teachers and students had gone home. He also threw stones at the building and threatened teachers with dire consequences. The accused escaped the area. —Correspondent