GUJRANWALA, Dec 14: Kalabagh dam issue has been raised to divert the public attention from major problems like corruption, lawlessness and price-hike. This was stated by Alliance for Restoration of Democracy central leader and Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan chief MNA Sahibzada Haji Muhammad Fazal Karim at a meeting of party workers held at the residence of provincial information secretary Maulana Muhammad Akber Naqashbandi here on Wednesday.

He said the government should not build the dam without evolving consensus on the issue among the people of four provinces and major political parties.

He said democracy and the ‘uniform’ could not go together in any other country and added that the real power rested with the army.

He demanded that all core issues, including that of Kalabagh dam be discussed in the parliament instead of public meetings.

The MMA’s Karachi chapter former chief Hafiz Muhammad Taqi, Sahibzada Ghulam Murataza Shazi, Pir Syed Iqbal Ahmad Shah, Mufti Muhammad Hussain Sidiqi and Maulana Ghulam Nabi Jamati were present on the occasion.

Industrialists: The Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco) is providing better facilities to industrialists for the promotion of industry.

This was stated by Gepco chief-executive Brig Saifullah Khalid while speaking at the chamber of commerce and industry here on Wednesday.

He asked the defaulters to avail the facility of 50 per cent payment to clear their pending bills. He said furnace factories had also been included in this category so that they could clear their dues.

He suggested that industrialists should select the place for establishing their industry where power load was less than that of city areas and the Qila Dedar Singh area was suitable for the purpose. He said the company was installing more grid stations in Gujranwala, Sialkot and Gujrat to overcome the load problems.

He said a proposal for setting up a 500 megawatt power plant at Nandipur within two years was under consideration while a 500kv grid station in Qila Dedar Singh would be completed by April 2008.

TRAFFIC POLICE: Punjab traffic DIG Chaudhry Altaf Qamer has said that a proposal for deploying modern police in Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan and Rawalpindi was under consideration.

Talking to Dawn here on Wednesday, he said salaries of new police would be equal to motorway police, besides some other facilities.

He said the police would be equipped with new vehicles.

The DIG said the traffic police had already launched a special drive against bogus licence holders at district level and their licences would be cancelled if drivers could not clear the test.

SUICIDE: An addict committed suicide by setting himself on fire at Alipur Chattha on Wednesday.

Reports said Ahmad Raza demanded money from his parents. On their refusal, he set himself ablaze and died on way to DHQ hospital.