SAHIWAL, Jan 10: PML-Q Punjab president could not even address an indoor meeting of party workers scheduled for Thursday due to differences among the local leadership.

Former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was to address a public meeting at the local hockey ground on Thursday which was later scaled down to a party workers meeting at the residence of former federal minister Chaudhry Naurez Shakoor as the organisers were not sure of pulling big crowd.

However, that meeting too had to be cancelled as party’s district information secretary Syed Imtiaz Ali Shah announced to stage a protest against the decision of party leadership.

Another reason, sources said, for the cancellation of the meeting was that the district administration was not satisfied with the security arrangements.

FLOUR: The district food department has cancelled nine flour sale licences as the holders were allegedly overcharging the consumers.

The district coordination officer Qazi Muhammad Ayub also ordered closure of sale points established by nine flour mills.

Four shopkeepers were arrested for charging Rs350 for a flour bag instead of the official price of Rs295.

Of the sale point owners whose licences were cancelled for black marketing three were in Noorshah Town, two in Harappa, one in Kot Khadim Ali Shah, two in Kamir Town and one on the Dispensary Road grain market.

The district food controller Shabbir Ahmed Alvi said the food department was purchasing 11,000 bags daily from nine flour mills in the district and adequate storage of wheat had been ensured to avert any shortage.

Rain casualties: Two persons were killed and four others injured in rain-related incidents here on Wednesday night.

Reports said rain and hailstorm started at 8pm as a result of which a wall collapsed at Chak Shahmadar, killing Tufail, 4. Roof of a house at Iqbal Town caved in. As a result, Mumtaz Begum died on the spot while four children suffered injuries.