BAHAWALPUR: Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rai Babar Saeed has ordered an inquiry into the arrest of a 10th class girl on terrorism charges by the police allegedly to favour the rivals of her family over a clash on a land dispute.

The girl, Iqra Shafiq, is presently locked up in New Central Jail, Bahawalpur, on judicial remand along with her two aunts. Surprisingly, the police arrested only women of the family.

Iqra Shafiq’s father Muhammad Shafiq submitted an application to the RPO in an open katchery at Nowshera Jadeed Police Station and protested over the arrest of his schoolgoing daughter and other family women in the terrorism. He alleged that the Uch Sharif police had implicated his daughter and other two women of his family in a fake case to favour his rivals over a land dispute case.

The RPO appointed SP investigation as inquiry officer with a directive to complete the probe and submit his report at an earliest.

JI City emir Nasrullah Khan had also protested against the police excesses for implicating Iqra and her other relative women in the case.

DPO Muhammad Hassan Iqbal’s PRO Dr Aamir Nazir, when contacted by Dawn, said the arrested women, including Iqra, were involved in the attack on Constable Shahid and damaging a police vehicle during a quarrel over a land dispute at village Muhammadpur near Uch Sharif.

Dawn learnt that the incident took place on Aug 10 when there was a clash between Shafiq’s family and their rivals who had called police. Shafiq alleged that the police had tortured his family’s women, registered a terrorism case against them at the behest of his rivals and arrested them.

According to JI leader Nasruullah, who paid a visit to the house to express sympathy with the family of Iqra Shafiq at Muhammadpur near Uch Sharif was informed by Iqra’s sister Sidra that police had tortured the women of the family during the arrest.

FLOOD: The Punjab government has provided Rs50m to the district administration for anti-flood measures on an emergency basis.

According to an official handout, Bahawalpur Deputy Commissioner Dr Farhan Farooq said all departments were properly looking after the flood affected people in the 27 flood relief camps of the district.

He said so far 42,000 persons, along with their 25,000 cattle heads, were shifted to the relief camps and other safer places. Saying that so far 60 villages ha dbeen affected while 58 villages had been partly affected, he added that a field hospital had been set up at Jhangra East while 26 vehicles of the clinic-on-wheels were functioning.

Meanwhile, it was claimed that seven katcha bunds in the district breached and they submerged crops on thousands of acres, affecting about 50 villages in tehsils Bahawalpur. The people have shifted to safer places.

In Vehari district, 70,000 people of 75 bastis were affected by flood and they were provided shelter in seventeen relief camps.

Vehari DC Imrana Tauqeer claimed to have also provided fodder for the 1,200 livestock of the affected persons.

In Lodhran district, the personnel of Pak Army, along with police and civil administration officials participated in the relief and rescue operation of the affected people.

Lodhran DC Dr Lubna Nazir said 22 were affected severely while 11 were affected partly by the flood in the district.

BOOKED: Gaggo police in Vehari district booked two prayer leaders under the Amplifier Act for allegedly making appeals for money through mosques’ loudspeakers.

Those booked were identified as Hafiz Zaheer Abbas, prayer leader of Masjid Ghausia , Mirza Colony, Chak 225/EB, and Hafiz Qari Rashid of Jamia Masjid, Chak 179/EB. Police have not confirmed their arrests.

KAZAKHSTAN: Two Pakistani students’ batches, Pakistan White and Pakistan Green, representing Pakistan Young Innovative Minds Society (PYIMS), led by Ashar Hassan and Amna Abid, won silver and bronze medals out of 35 countries’ students science innovation competition, titled Young Naturalist Tournament, held at Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan.

The Pakistan White comprised Amin Adnan and Hajira Virk while Pakistan Green consisted of Areeba Tauqeer, Tasmia Abid and others.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2025