FAISALABAD, May 26 The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), under the new strategy for Central Superior Services (CSS) Examinations-2011, has recommended the government to grant five-year age relaxation to candidates but enhance their requisite educational qualification from fourteen-year schooling to sixteen-year schooling.

FPSC research director Mian Mohammad Sarwar said while addressing a seminar organised by the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) at Old Senate Hall here on Tuesday.

He said the commission had been performing its duties with integrity and sincerity and procedure of examinations and results was transparent enough and being appreciated at every level. He said that increasing number of aspirants for CSS exams every year was a conspicuous example of the commission's performance and the pubic confidence.

He said that last year 4,247 candidates from across the country took the examinations but only 689 could qualify the written test. He said this year 9,137 candidates were enrolled and 5,145 of them took the examinations.

He apprised the students about federal departments being assigned to the successful candidates of the CSS examinations.

UAF agriculture faculty dean Dr Iftikhar Ahmed stressed the need for concerted efforts by youth to steer the country out of the crises it was currently facing. He said that our forefathers had rendered unbelievable sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan and now it was responsibility of the young generation to contribute effectively to the uplift of the state of Pakistan.

grant for bar The Punjab government is evolving a strategy for the improvement of more than 300 bars of the province and need-based financial grants will be extended to them during the next financial year, says provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.

The minister was addressing a ceremony here on Monday in which he gave a cheque for Rs10 million to the District Bar Association, Faisalabad, for setting up the endowment fund.

The minister said the establishment of a high court bench in Faisalabad was a right of this region and it would be set up very soon after the removal of some 'hurdles'.

LAW, ORDER After industrialists, local parliamentarians have also raised their voice against police failure to trace gangs involved in kidnap for ransom cases.

In a meeting held at the Circuit House on Tuesday to review the prevailing law and order situation in the district, with Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah in chair, PPP MPA Dr Asad Moazzam said recent abductions had terrorized masses in general and the business community in particular.

Dr Moazzam suggested that a task force should be formed to cordon off the areas after reporting of kidnapping because police were too slow to react, but the chair did not respond to the proposal. The MPA said police responded after four hours in the kidnapping of an industrialist who had been taken to Hangu.

Present in the meeting, police officers, including RPO Malik Ahmed Raza Tahir and CPO Ahmed Mubarik, said that police had completed its 80 per cent work and criminals would be brought to book with the safe recovery of the victims.

PML-N MPA Khawaja Mohammad Islam said that concerted efforts were required for safe recovery of the abducted people. Earlier, on May 9 local industrialists had also lashed out at the poor performance of the police.

Mr Sanaullah said that like Lahore police, the Punjab government would also provide modern gadgets to the Faisalabad police. He asked the RPO and CPO to submit their demands to the government.

The RPO and CPO briefed the participants about police efforts for the improvement of the law and order. The parliamentarians also gave their proposals to arrest the trend of drug trafficking, cattle theft and street crimes.