OKARA, April 22: A youth shot dead his sister on Monday because his father had arranged her marriage with a cousin he disliked.

Mehmoodul Hasan Shah had decided to marry his daughter Safia with his nephew Abbas Shah of Mouza Gul Shah village near Basirpur. But Abid Hussain Shah opposed the decision and exchanged harsh words with his father on several occasions. On Monday, Hussain shot dead his sister when she was asleep in a room and fled.

Basirpur police have registered a case on the report of his father.

TEXT BOOKS: Parents of school students of 4th, 6th and 9th classes particularly have protested against the non-availability of text books in the market across the district.

Bookshop owners said that only those books were not available which were to be published by the Punjab Text Book Board.

BODY FOUND: The body of a young girl was found from Chak 4-L canal near Kot Liaquat Hayat here on Monday.

Police have taken the body into its custody and are investigating.

VACANT: Posts of a gynaecologist, an orthopaedic surgeon and an eye surgeon have been lying vacant for the last two years at the local DHQ Hospital.

The poor patients are the worst sufferers because they have to bear heavy treatment expenses in private hospitals.