Music, firing in air disallowed

KARAK, June 8: The Gurguri Ishali Tanzeem, which was revived after two years, has declared that playing of music and firing in air won’t be allowed in the Gurguri area of Banda Daud Shah tehsil.

This was announced by the newly elected office-bearers of the organisation at a meeting held at the Gurguri village. The organisation had suspended its activities after Gurguri operation on April 19, 2010, carried out by the Frontier Constabulary due to its increasing interference in the affairs of foreign oil and gas exploring company MOL. The office-bearers of the organisation had gone underground after the operation.

Soon after its revival, the activists decided that playing of music and music concerts and firing in the air would not be allowed in the area.

The amir of the organisation Nasrullah Jan, who is a schoolteacher, told the meeting activists of the organisation would patrol in the streets to maintain law and order situation.—Correspondent

School not reconstructed

MANSEHRA, June 8: The reconstruction work on government boys high school Ghandian destroyed in October 2005 earthquake could not be completed because of apathy of the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra).

“The schoolchildren are getting education in tents and under the shadow of the trees in such warm weather in miserable condition. The work which was stopped in 2008 because of shortage of funds could not be started as yet,” said Sher Mohammad, the principal of school, while speaking to media men. Some of the students sitting in open air have fallen unconscious because of soaring mercury.

More than 500 students are enrolled in the school which developed serious cracks and was demolished by Erra in 2008.

The students of the school appealed to chief minister to take notice of the delay in completion of the work.—Correspondent

Specialised training

PESHAWAR, June 8: The US has provided specialised training to 22 officers of the special branch of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police.

The police officers were awarded certificates at the graduation ceremony held at the special branch headquarters here on Friday.

The “Basic Instructor Development Course,” aims to develop a corps of instructors, who will create a curriculum to improve existing training practices, and then use their specialised knowledge to train their fellow officers.

The initiative is part of a Police Assistance Programme sponsored by the US State Department’s Narcotics Affairs Section and the Department of Justice. “This course is part of joint US-Pakistan efforts to promote security and stability,” noted Dan Hamilton, a law enforcement assistance officer at the US Consulate General in Peshawar.

“We are working directly with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police to develop skilled instructors in a number of specialties, such as explosives ordnance disposal, investigations, counterterrorism and forensics,” he maintained.—Bureau Report

Kohat hospital upgradation

PESHAWAR June 8: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar has said concerted efforts and sufficient resources were needed to make Kohat District Headquarters Hospital a teaching hospital.

The governor was receiving a briefing on the prevailing state of affairs of the hospital on Friday. Speaking on the occasion, the governor pointed out that keeping in view the emergent needs of the students of Kohat Institute of Medical Sciences, ‘we indeed have to make serious efforts to do the needful at the earliest’.

Taking exception to the delayed process of upgradation of the hospital, the governor also stressed the need of taking immediate measures to fill up all the vacant posts of the hospital at the earliest.

This hospital, he added played vital role in meeting the healthcare requirements of a vast population of the area. He also assured to take necessary steps to provide MRI machine at the hospital.—APP

Control room set up

PESHAWAR, June 8: A control room has been established in the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which will work round the clock.

According to a press release, Abdur Rashid, IT/IMO PDMA/PaRRSA will be the in-charge of the control room. Telephone number of the control room is: 091-9213959 and fax no is: 091-9214025.—APP

PHC CJ’s proposal lauded

PESHAWAR, June 8: Citizens for Clean Environment (CEC), an NGO, has lauded the statement of chief justice of the Peshawar High Court regarding launching of intra-city rail service in Peshawar.

PHC Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan had suggested to the Bank of Khyber to launch intra-city rail service to overcome the traffic mess and pollution in the provincial capital.

Rafey Alam Khan, an environmental lawyer, said: “More roads invite pollution and traffic, while better traffic management and public transport system for a large population takes the burden off the roads and contributes to long term public benefit,” according to a press release issued here on Friday.

“Our cities have become garbage dumps, with noise and air pollution at alarming levels as compared to WHO benchmarks. Industrial and commercial effluents pollute the water channels and rivers endangering human and aquatic lives. Forests reserves have fallen below critical levels and urbanisation and commercialisation have taken over traditional pastoral and agricultural lands, threatening the food basket of the population,” maintained Mr Alam.—APP

Portfolios reallocated

PESHAWAR, June 8: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister has reallocated the portfolio of revenue, estate and relief to the minister Mohammad Shuja Khan and that of food to the minister Syed Qalb-i-Hassan, according to a notification issued here on Friday.—APP