Gas leakage kills two

NOWSHERA, April 30: Two brothers died due to suffocation caused of gas leakage on the night between Sunday and Monday. Official sources said two brothers Nasirullah (25) and Amanullah (19) were found fainted in a room of their house at Miskeenabad area of Pir Sabaq.

Relatives said both the brothers expired while on way to the district headquarters hospital. Meanwhile, hundreds of labourers of Sohail Jute Mills staged hunger strike on Monday to press the mills management for payment of withheld salaries not paid to them for the last two years.

Labourer leaders Laiq Shah and Behram Khan, talking to media persons at the hunger strike camp, criticised the government policies. They said the so-called champions of labour rights didn’t even bother to visit the hunger strike camp. They warned if their demands were not met immediately then they would resort to self- immolation.—Correspondent

‘Car-lifters, kidnappers’ held

KOHAT, April 30: The police claimed on Monday to have busted notorious gangs of car-lifters and kidnappers in raids at different places. The city police, acting on a tip off, raided a place at Jarwanda bypass road and arrested an outlaw, Syed Alam, who was wanted in cases of heinous nature.

In another raid in Meri Colony area a man identified as Samiullah wanted to Multan Cantt police in a kidnapping case of a businessman was nabbed.

Similarly, notorious car-lifters and kidnappers, Khayal Zaman and Arshad, were captured from Togh Bala. They have been at large for several months. Meanwhile, the police elite force recovered huge quantity of weapons and hashish from 27 suspects in an operation in the district on Monday.

Six Kalashnikovs, two Kalakovs, seven rifles, 15 shotguns, 26 pistols, 21 chargers and 14 kilograms of hashish were recovered from them.—Correspondent

Handicrafts exhibition

PESHAWAR, April 30: Pakistan Village Development Programme (PVDP) with the assistance of international welfare organisation ‘TROCAIR’ on Monday organised an exhibition where handicrafts made by the women of flood affected union council of Mohib Banda in Nowshera district were put on display.

The products of 250 women were put on display in the exhibition held in Banda Sheikh Ismail area of Nowshera. Member of the board of directors of the PVDP Naheed Zaka inaugurated the exhibition. PVDP programme manager said the organisation besides imparting different skills to 250 women of Banda Sheikh Ismail, Jabba Daudzai, Ghari Momin, Camp Koroona and Banda Miangaan also provided free sewing machines and other related materials to them.

He said the marketing of these products was under consideration, adding after consultations with business community the organisation would also facilitate the affected women in initiating their own entrepreneurship to earn honourable living for their families.—Bureau Report

Corporal punishment

MIRAMSHAH, April 30: Parents and their children staged protest demonstration against harsh treatment of teaching staff of a local school with their students in Miramshah, North Waziristan Agency on Monday.

Protesters alleged that students of semi-government Al-Azhar Public School had been complaining against cruel behaviour of their teachers but the principal was not taking action to address their grievances.

Parents assembled in front of the press club and chanted slogans against management of the school.

They demanded of the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Masood Kausar and political administration to take action against the teachers and management of the school.

Meanwhile, the government distributed Rs7.3 million as compensation among the operation affected families of North Waziristan. Rs5.4 million was given to families of those killed and Rs1.9 distributed among the injured people.—Correspondent