Gas supply to Karak to cost Rs30 million

From Nasir Iqbal Khattak

KARAK: General Manager Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Momin Khan Khattak said Tuesday that gas supply to Karak city would be completed at an estimated cost of over Rs30 million.

Talking to the mediamen here Tuesday, Momin said that the project would be completed in five months time, which would benefit the residents of 36 villages of tehsil Banda Daud Shah, 19 villages of tehsil Karak and 19 villages of tehsil Takht-e-Nustrati.

He added that the work on laying the main transmission line for the project would be completed shortly.

Momin informed that a camp office of the company had been established in the district in order to facilitate the local population, saying that an agreement had been reached among local elected representatives, elders and the gas department for provision of gas supply to the district.

He further said that hectic efforts were being made to provide gas facility to the respective villages in light of said agreement.

Talks remain

successful between rival tribes

The Khattak and Shawa Wazir tribes released the kidnapped persons of each other following successful informal negotiations between the elders of the two clans held here Tuesday.

The formal talks scheduled to be held between the elders of the two tribes at Kohat on Tuesday were cancelled after the issue was resolved amicably.

Dr. Muhammad Ishaq, a resident of Terri locality, informed the Statesman by phone that the Khattak tribes paid Rs13,50,000 to Shawa Wazir tribes as a fine for selling their three flour trucks seized during Ramazan.

He added that Rs0.9 million was the actual cost of the flour trucks while the rest of the amount was a fine levelled on Khattak tribes for illegally selling the flour of Wazir tribes.

39 outlaws nabbed during crackdown in Kohat

KOHAT: Police claimed to have arrested 39 proclaimed offenders (POs) during ongoing crackdown against anti-social elements in the district, police sources said.

The clean-up operation has been launched at Kaghzai, Regi Sheenokhel, Muhammadai, Ghamkol, Gulshan Abad, Merozai, Jarma, Kharmatoo, Bili Tang, Sayab, Darmalak, Sumari, Nandraka and Ghorzandi areas during which police succeeded to apprehended 39 absconders and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from their possession, sources added.

Seven kalashnikovs, two kalakovs, 15 rifles, 13 shot guns, 29 pistols, 2,700 rounds, 15kg hashish and 15g heroin from the possession of the criminals. Meanwhile, cantonment police recovered a non-customs paid coach and registered a case against Muhammad Deedar.

DPO Abdullah Khan said that police force had been directed to intensify crackdown against outlaws. He said that law-enforcers were making all-out efforts to establish exemplary peace in the district.

Chitral: EFU branch manager deprive simpletons of Rs8m

From Fakhre Alam

CHITRAL: Irregularities amounting to Rs8 million in the regional branch of a private insurance company EFU have been unearthed which has resulted in depriving scores of local insurance policy holders of their hard-earned money.

On Tuesday, police on the report of a policy holder namely Abdul Hukkam Jan registered a fraud case against the unit manager of the company Sher Azam who has already disappeared from the scene soon after the detection of the scam.

Narrating their ordeal to mediamen, Abdul Hukkam and others said that the said unit manager of the company had given them the receipt of their payments on plain papers instead of original receipts of the company that were not given to them even after a lapse of many months.

They further said that other branch offices of the company had also been established in Chasma and Booni localities where the irregularities had been surfaced.

When the manager of Peshawar branch Jamil Abbas was contacted to know his view about the fraud case, he said that Sher Azam had been sacked from his job because of financial irregularities.

He, however, was unable to give any satisfactory answer when asked why action was not taken against Sher Azam who continued to extort money from the poor people of the valley by using the company’s name. The affectees said that they had invested the money of their whole life in the company and left with nothing after the deception.

It is also learnt that the fraud manager had appointed many field consultants who had nothing to do with the company and the high authorities in the head office in Karachi had no idea about such fake staffers in the regional office of the company in the district.

Pakhtuns killing in Karachi’s unrest

ANP govt asked to lodge protest with Sindh admn

From Wali Muhammad

SWABI: Condemning the killing of innocent Pakhtuns and destruction of their property and businesses during the three-day riots in the financial hub of the country, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf NWFP has demanded of the ANP-led provincial government to lodge a formal protest with the Sindh government in this regard.

A demand to this effect was made by provincial president of PTI Asad Qaiser during a press conference here Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, PTI leader said that chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain was responsible for current riots and the miseries faced by the innocent citizens of the mega city as he had raised a hue and cry about the presence of Taliban in the city just to give his party workers a justification to keep arms, he alleged.

He further said that the occurrence of Karachi incidents soon after Mumbai attacks were meaningful and give credence to the impression that the blood of Pakhtuns was being shed under a well-conceived conspiracy.

Asad reiterated that every worker of his party would come forward to protect every inch of the motherland if India made the mistake of violating national frontiers, he maintained.

He also demanded of the central government to take the leaders of all major political parties onboard on the issue of national security and for devising a joint strategy to counter the aggression of the enemy.

Pilgrims looted

Some unidentified robbers deprived intending pilgrims of cash and other valuables here Tuesday.

One Wazir Khan, a resident of Ghandaf area, was on his way to Peshawar Airport along with his wife in his car (RIX-3883) when some unknown armed dacoits intercepted them on Swabi-Jahangira road near Panch Pir Lara.

The accused snatched 3000 Saudi riyals, Rs10,000, one cellular phone and few documents from the couple.

Education seen vital for improving nation’s image

From G Mursalin Marwat

LAKKI MARWAT: District Coordination Officer (DCO) Muhammad Anwar Khan Mehsood has stressed upon the students to concentrate on their studies and prepare themselves for the future challenges.

Speaking as a chief guest at a parent’s day ceremony held here at Government High School Ismail Shah Abakhel on Tuesday, the DCO said that those nations who gave top priority to the education had reached to the peak of development.

Education is the key to progress and this is the only weapon that can put our country on a high esteem in the comity of nations, he told.

He called upon the teachers to perform their professional obligations honestly and impart quality education to the students.

He said that teachers should concentrate on the character building of their students and train them on curriculum and co-curriculum sides in a better way.

He assured that district administration would make all-out efforts to address the problems of the teachers and students as well.

On this occasion, MPA Munawar Khan’s brother and former divisional engineer PTCL Haji Ameer Nawaz Khan said that additional classrooms would be constructed in high as well as primary schools besides the girls middle school of the locality would also be upgraded to high level.

He said on the request of MPA Munawar Khan the provincial government had released Rs10 million for the construction of flood protection dykes in Abakhel and other villages of the district.