British national robbed

ISLAMABAD, Sept 9: A British national associated with an oil exploration company as a consultant was robbed of cash here on Sunday night, police said.

Richard Will was going home at F-7/3 from the Super Market when two men riding a car intercepted him in the street posing themselves as security officials and asked him for a body search. The robbery victim complained to the Kohsar police that during the body search the bandits snatched his purse containing Rs35,000 and some British currency. The police have registered a case and started investigation. — Staff Reporter

Early polls only solution

TAXILA, Sept 9: Leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Ch. Nisar Ali Khan has said solution of all political and domestic problems lies in timely elections in the country. He was addressing party workers at Wah Cantonment on Saturday evening.

He alleged that the ruling party was trying to postpone the general elections by reintroducing the local government system. He added that the government was again using delaying tactics to slow down the electoral process.

He asked the ruling party to stop pursuing the issue of new provinces as a political stunt to target opposition parties. He demanded that a national commission should be constituted in accordance with the resolution of the Punjab Assembly. He also asked the government to nominate opposition leaders in Balochistan and Sindh assemblies.

He said it was promised by the federal government during the course of the passage of 20th amendment that leaders of the opposition would be nominated in Balochistan and Sindh assemblies. He said PML-N would not become part of a weak or ineffective accountability bill. — Correspondent

PTI calls for unity

ATTOCK, Sept 9: Former MPA and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Syed Ejaz Shah Bukhari has called upon people from all walks of life to work together for elimination of terrorism and sectarian killings, particularly in Quetta, Gilgit-Baltistan and Karachi.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Mr Bukhari said the menace of terrorism started from the Zia regime and gripped the entire country gradually.

He said sectarian killing had now even reached Gilgit-Baltistan and Quetta. He said his party condemned the recent wave of sectarian killings and urged the law enforcement agencies to formulate an effective strategy to provide security to the Shia population. He said Indian spy agency RAW was involved in such conspiracies to create destability in Pakistan. In reply to a question, he said leaders and workers of PTI from the Attock district would fully participate in the party’s rally to Waziristan. — Correspondent

Rural artisans display craft

ISLAMABAD, Sept 9: As many as 25 rural craftsmen have displayed their products in the field of textile designing to earn respectable livelihood at Lok Virsa till September 12.

Their display is part of a workshop in which they are being trained by experts on how to learn techniques for making the products according to the market needs.

The products on display include embroidery, block printing, Khes weaving, Lungi weaving, leather embroidery and many other forms of textile designing, said Khalid Javaid, the executive director of Lok Virsa.

The National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, Lok Virsa, is training rural craftspersons with expertise in various craft fields through a series of workshops.

The series of master artisans training workshops will provide capacity building to 768 marginalised craft persons/artisans, mainly from rural districts with poor lower income groups while more than 25 craftpersons are being trained currently in the ongoing workshop of textiles to promote the craft heritage of Pakistan. — APP