GUJRANWALA, June 14: A commission agent of the Kamoki grain market was kidnapped for ransom by his rivals from his Mangal Doona Singh village here on Tuesday. Reports said Abdul Hamid was on his way home from the grain market. Near the village, four men riding a car bundled him into the vehicle. Later they rang up his heirs and demanded Rs800,000 ransom for his release.

Police have registered a case against the kidnappers and are investigating.

His family members alleged that Abdul Hamid’s business rivals kidnapped him. However, the police could not recover him till the filing of this report.

TC BUDGET: The Wazirabad Tehsil Council on Tuesday presented Rs170 million tax-free budget for fiscal year 2005-06.

Finance Sub-committee Chairman Sohail Munir Cheema presented the budget while Naib Nazim Mir Majid Ali Salar presided over the meeting.

Tehsil Nazim Chaudhry Shaukat Manzoor Cheema while speaking at the meeting said Rs100 million had been allocated for development schemes without imposing any new tax. He claimed that the tehsil council had completed almost all uplift projects during the current fiscal year.