SIALKOT, June 30: Traders on Monday continued their agitational strike by keeping their shutters down in Noorkot and Shakargarh.
The traders were protesting against the brutal killing of a minor boy and the abduction of two persons on Sunday by armed men from Lorry Adda, Noorkot, Narowal district.
The protesting traders came on the road and chanted anti-police slogans for their failure to control the law and order situation.
Some unidentified armed men came to Lorry Adda by a car without number plate and opened indiscriminate fire, killing Azeem (10) instantly.
Later, the armed men had kidnapped two unknown persons at gunpoint from a local pan shop. They bundled both the abductors into their car and escaped towards Narowal while firing in the air.
Noorkot police have registered a case with no arrest.
In another incident, a labourer was slaughtered by some unknown killer(s) on Noorkot-Shakargarh Road.
Sher Zaman Khan (25) was asleep outside the local labour court when the incident happened late on Sunday night.
MARK-UP: The Punjab Small Industries Corporation has reduced its mark-up to five per cent for the promotion of small industries in the province.
This was stated by Punjab Industries Minister Muhammad Ajmal Cheema while talking to various trade delegations here on Monday. He said the government had fixed various export targets in 200 non-traditional export items for capturing the world market.
The minister assured the business community that the export processing zone in Sialkot would start functioning within a year. The EPZ had been established near Sambrial (Daska) on 238 acres of land in which 170 industrial projects would be started, providing job opportunities to around 40,000 people.
The minister said that at least 19 more EPZs would soon be established throughout the country.
DIRECTIVE: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has issued directive for the reconstruction and widening of 35 kilometre long Sialkot-Pasrur Road at a cost of Rs160 million.
This was claimed by MPA Chaudhry Armughan Subhani while talking to newsmen here on Monday.
Besides, he said that 27 kilometer farm-to-market roads would be constructed with an expenditure of Rs34 million which would benefit the people of some 50 villages.