Security in charge Captain Humayun Sajid (retired) was hospitalised with serious injuries as over 50 local people hit him with sticks and bricks.
Security officials said they had stopped a few local people from entering the construction area of the barrage on Sunday. Over it, they scuffled with security officials and threatened them with consequences. They said that they were Ashraf Rind’s supporters. Rind is a union council nazim. On Monday night, over 50 people came there in tractor trolleys and attacked the security officials. They resorted to aerial firing and panicked the staff who took ran for cover. The alleged attackers entered the office of Captain Sajid, injured him and escaped from the scene. He was shifted to the Kotaddu Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in serious condition.
Captain Sajid said when he was brought to the hospital, Rind was present in the hospital. He alleged that Dr Zubair, doctor on duty, first refused to admit him to the hospital. Later, on the intervention of senior officials of construction companies and former MNA Malik Ghulam Rabbani Khar, the doctor admitted him to the hospital.
He said he had recognised four of the attackers. Labourers and engineers of the construction companies working at the barrage site demanded police take measures to protect them from the local people. They said the security was a sensitive issue as Chinese engineers were also working at the site. In the past, Chinese engineers working at Gwadar were kidnapped and killed. Police registered a case and started investigation. Ashraf Rind and Dr Zubair were not available for comments.
MORE SECURITY: Police have increased security in subordinate courts of Muzaffargarh district following bomb blasts in Quetta and Multan and the killing of an advocate general in Lahore.
District Police Officer (DPO) Rai Muhammad Tahir told reporters on Tuesday that police had been provided with metal detectors at entry points of courts, including sessions courts and lower courts, in Muzaffargarh, Alipur, Kotaddu and Jatoi.
A sessions court security official said that police had been directed to search every one entering the court. He said most of the lawyers were cooperating with police but a few were reluctant to go through the body searching.
He said that even though lawyers and other officials had been asked to park their vehicles outside the district courts, a very few had followed instructions.
He said that during a meeting with court officials, lawyers had promised to cooperate with security officials on duty. Muzaffargarh Bar Association President Zubaidus Islam Khan Sherwani said that it was in the interest of lawyers to cooperate with security officials.
STIPEND: The Punjab government has released monthly stipend for special education schools’ students of Muzaffargarh. Executive District Officer (Community Development) Malik Khair Muhammad Budh distributed seven months stipends among 84 students of the district. Students said that they were happy to receive the stipend. Ghulam Rasool, the father of student Iqra, said the stipend would encourage other parents of special children to send their children to schools as it would minimise their financial burden. The EDO urged the parents of special children to send their children to schools.