MUZAFFARGARH: The district gazetteer was launched at a ceremony at the Jinnah Auditorium on Monday evening.

The ceremony was attended by the officers of the district administration, academicians, journalists, civil society representatives and public at large.

Highlighting the importance of the document, speakers said that gazetteer was considered the most sacred and authentic document in respect of any given district, and contained all necessary information pertaining to people, places, and practices prevalent there.

It was, however, regretted that like many other good traditions of the pre-Partition era, compiling of gazetteer too had been put on the back burner by deputy commissioners these days. As a result, such an important source of information has been lost. The publication of District Gazetteer of Muzaffargarh after a lapse of 90 years was therefore no less than a historic moment.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ehtasham Anwar, author of the Gazetteer and former Muzaffargarh DC, said not only they had been able to revive an old tradition but had set a new precedent too. The online version of the Gazetteer is available at https://gazetteers.punjab.gov.pk/muzaffargarh.

He also thanked the Board of Revenue and the the Punjab government for having taken over the project and instructing deputy commissioners of entire province to compile gazetteers in respect of their districts too.

COVID: A man died from coronovirus infection on Tuesday in Indus hospital.

POLICE: Seven people were arrested on Tuesday for possessing illegal weapons, District Police Officer Mohammad Hassan Iqbal said.

He said soon his teams would start operations against Iranian petrol smuggling.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2020