FAISALABAD, Nov 21: PPP’s Secretary General Aftab Ahmed Khan has urged President Gen Pervez Musharraf to direct the Election Commission authorities to accelerate work for holding general elections in the country scheduled to be held during the next year.
Talking to newsmen here on Wednesday, he said that only an elected government can steer the country out of the present crisis.
He said that in view of rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan, the military rulers should constitute a committee comprising senior politicians, military high-ups and renowned journalists for reviewing the situation and suggest feasible policies.
He said that the PPP had already raised its voice for uprooting terrorism.
He claimed that some government functionaries had launched a vilification campaign against the politicians only to achieve their ulterior motives bringing bad name to the Musharraf government.
Criticizing the government steps to give special attention to the rescheduling of loans, he proposed that efforts should be made for the revival of national economy by encouraging foreign investor and exploring new markets for the indigenous products.
He also demanded that the federal government should announce a fresh financial policy in accordance with present industrial and economical scenario of the country.
FOUR KILLED: Four people were killed in separate incidents in the district during the last 24 hours.
Mahmood Ahmed was shot dead by his relatives during an altercation over the distribution of property in Nishatabad.
Three people opened fire on Shukarullah Khan over a minor dispute in Aruri village, killing him on the spot. The accused fled from the scene.
Muhammad Ashraf was shot dead allegedly by Iftikhar Ahmed in Chak No 53 GB. Iftikhar had asked Ashraf not to stand in front of his house.
Ashfaq Ahmed and Sadaf Ali stabbed and killed Muhammad Ashraf in Chak No 58 RB over an old enmity.
Area police registered cases against the accused. TRADER HELD: A trader was arrested on Wednesday on the orders of a banking court of Faisalabad on charge of default.
A court bailiff with a police team raided a shop in D-Grounds and arrested Muzaffar Hussain who had failed to pay the loan to a bank despite repeated requests.
ROBBERY: Cash and gold ornaments were looted from the house of a trader in Muslim Town during Sehr time on Wednesday.
Four masked men forced their entry into the house of Sajid Ali when he was coming out of his house to offer Fajr prayers. The robbers fled after collecting Rs40,000 from the house and snatching gold ornaments from the female inmates.
CO-OP VICTIMS’ PLEA: The Action Committee of Victims of Cooperative Scam, Punjab, has urged President Gen Pervez Musharraf to take personal interest for the payment of remaining amount to the victims.
In a statement on Wednesday, association president Sheikh Talat Mahmood thanked the authorities concerned for abolishing mark-up of millions of rupees from the loans of the cooperatives and termed it a positive step.
He said that all previous government befooled he cooperative scam victims only to save the interests of their leaders.
POWER HIKE OPPOSED: Industrial, commercial and domestic consumers have asked the Nepra not to allow Wapda to further enhance the electricity tariff.
In separate statements leaders of traders, representatives of NGOs and domestic consumers said on Wednesday that in case further enhancement in the power tariff was permitted, it would adversely effect the national economy.
The proposed enhancement would trigger unprecedented price hike because the production cost of all the consumer goods would automatically escalate, they added.
They urged President Gen Pervez Musharraf to direct Wapda to minimize its line losses and eliminate corruption instead of enhancing power tariff.