Five killed on road

MARDAN, Feb 18: Five persons of a family were killed in a head-on collision between a car and passenger coach on Mardan-Malakand road here on Saturday.

Locals and police said the Takhtbhai-bound car (RIL-9900) collided with a Mardan-bound passenger coach (LH-9165) when its tie-rod broke near the Saribehlol village.

All the five persons of family who were traveling in the car were killed on the spot.

The victims were identified as Khalida, wife of Anwar Khan, Taj Pari, daughter of Anwar Khan, Bakht Rawaan, son of Anwar Khan, Haroon, son of Anwar Khan and a minor child Zahid, son of Bakht Rawaan. Sahibzada Abdul Manan, relative of the ill-fated family, told officials of the Takhtbhai police station that the victims had gone to Mardan hospital to inquire after the health of one of their relatives and on their return the accident occurred.—Correspondent

ANP hurt by flag removal

PESHAWAR, Feb 18: Awami National Party, Jamrud leaders have taken notice of the removal of their party flags in the Khyber Agency and described the act as violation of the extension of the Political Parties Act to the Fata.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Saturday the ANP, Khyber Agency, general secretary Abdul Wahid said his party could not be pressurised by removing its flags. He announced that his party would launch a flag-hoisting drive from Feb 24 in the agency to discourage the anti-ANP elements.

He said that some anti-ANP elements were hatching conspiracies to weaken the party and removal of its flags from houses was a part of the drive.

He warned that if anyone found involved in the practice he would be heavily fined. He said such elements did not criticise any other party but were only targeting ANP, urging Governor Barrister Masood Kausar to take notice of the incident.—Bureau Report

Holiday for by-election

MARDAN, Feb 18: The district coordination officer Mardan has declared February 25 as holiday on account of by-election on NA-9, according to a press release issued here on Saturday.

Mardan DCO Zaka Ullah Khatak said that officials of district government, tehsil municipal administration and health department had been deputed for the poll duty.

Besides, the DCO also imposed section-144 in the city banning exhibition and carrying of any arms on the polls day in order to maintain the law and order situation in the city and avoid any untoward incident.—Correspondent

Snowfall in Baltistan

SKARDU, Feb 18: Winter’s second spell of snow that started on Saturday morning continued the whole day paralysing daily life in the two districts of Baltistan region.

Road links between Skardu and the upper mountainous areas like Gultary, Shila, Askoli and Hushe was disrupted due to landslides.

Temperature in these areas dipped to below minus 14 degree to minus 16 degree centigrade. Mostly, people remained indoors to avoid frostbite. In Skardu city, most shops and offices remained closed during the daytime. Reports said water pipes at different localities were burst creating shortage of drinking water.—Correspondent

Dispute claims two lives

PESHAWAR, Feb 18: A property dispute claimed two lives in Matni Bazaar in the suburbs of Peshawar on Saturday, locals said.

A police official of the rural circle said Sharbat Khan opened indiscriminate fire with Kalashnikov in the Matni Bazaar killing a man identified as Inayatullah on the spot and injuring three others namely Jaffar, son of Atlas, Sajjid, son of Malang and Sajid. The police official said Sajid succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

An eyewitness said two first cousins, Adnan and Ali Ahmed, had developed differences over the ownership of a shop in Matni Bazaar and were busy exchanging hot words that another relative, Sharbat Khan, supporter of Ali Ahmed, opened fire on them. The injured were taken to the Lady Reading Hospital.

The accused escaped the scene. The police said murder case against the accused had been registered and investigation was underway.—Bureau Report

Tribes reconcile

KOHAT, Feb 18: An old enmity between the two tribes of Kohat was turned into a friendship through the efforts of a reconciliatory jirga here on Saturday.

The tribes of Muhammadzai and Zawaki living side by side on the Hangu Highway developed enmity over a ‘mistaken’ attack by one tribe on the other, last year. After which the police raided several houses and arrested many tribesmen. As a result there was an imminent danger of eruption of a battle between the two tribes.

On Saturday the elders form both the tribes in the presence of SHO of cantonment police station shunned their differences and announced to live like brothers in future. —Correspondent

Kurram IDPs hold demo

PESHAWAR, Feb 18: A group of IDPs from Kurram Agency, carrying body of a man, on Saturday held a protest demonstration at Sher Shah Suri Road against the concerned political administration for failure to protect their lives in their localities. The protesters also blocked the vehicular traffic on the busy road for some time.

The people were shouting slogans against the government and political agent of Kurram Agency. Talking to media persons a former MPA Ibrahim Qasmi said the IDPs of the agency were not willing to return to their localities due to threat to their lives but the administration was forcing them to return.

“The people who had returned to reconstruct their houses were attacked by armed men and many bodies are still lying in the open,” he said and held the government responsible for the bloodshed. He said the Shiite and Sunnis had signed three peace agreements but even then the bloodshed continued.—Bureau Report

TMA workers salaries

CHITRAL, Feb 18: The employees of tehsil municipal administration, Chitral on Saturday ended their hunger strike on the assurance of the DCO that their withheld salaries would be paid.

The state of one of the hunger strikers had gone unstable as he fainted due to slump in blood pressure. The others had also contracted illness due to the intense cold, a doctor told Dawn.

The DCO went to the hunger strike camp on Saturday evening and assured the employees that their salaries of two months will be released within the next week while for the rest the provincial authorities will be contacted.

He also removed some of the reservations of the striking employees after which they announced to end the strike.

The DCO paid Rs2,000 to each striker so that they could buy some eatables.The contractual employees have not been paid their salaries for the last sixteen months.—Correspondent