ZIM paid rich tribute

LAHORE:A condolence reference was held here Friday by South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) to pay tribute to Zaffar Iqbal Mirza (ZIM).Paying tribute to Zaffar Iqbal Mirza, Imtiaz Alam said ZIM was my teacher and a great lover of music and friends. He was found of editing and English language. He always made sure during the editing of any column and news that overall tone must not be changed. He also worked in Civil and Military Gazette and Pakistan Times. After Bhutto hanging he joined Viewpoint and Dawn and Hussain Naqi's Punjab Punj. He was the man who was exploited in love of others. Imtiaz Alam shared, When I regularly joined journalism as a professional journalist, I met the man at the Viewpoint who eventually became my teacher. Initially I used to write longer and complex sentences and he always reprimanded me and used to turn the Hegelian stuff into small and smart pieces. While meticulously editing he never changed the content or tenor and tone of the write-ups and the stories. The time we spent with him at the Viewpoint was of both learning the ethos of professional journalism and enjoying the late evenings with him with classical music and feel-good drinks. He was a kind of Sufi who loved people, cricket, and music and, above all, literature. In his death, we have lost a man who was more than an angel, expressed Imtiaz Alam with grief.Masood Ullah Khan, a friend of ZIM shared ZIM’S first love was journalism. During Pakistan Times he was well aware of the restrictions. After he came out from Pakistan Times, he freely wrote. His headlines like “Wait until dark and Larkana till night” were talk of the town. It was a fun to be there. He was fond of radio. His favourite song was “Hum toh muhabbat karay ga” vocalised by Kishor Kumar” said he. Zim was backstage man for everyone. Before understanding ZIM first you need to understand Lahore, said Hussain Naqi.His English writing skills were outclassed. He was sharp and skilled. IA Rehman said young ZIM replaced Mian Nizamuddin who was pioneer of reference section. ZIM was different. He disliked bogus persons. Dr Akmal Hussain: ZIM was part of defiance against dictatorship but his resistance was always through proper word selection. Salima Hashmi and other paid rich tribute to ZIM.

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‘ACE recovered Rs8.61b last month’

LAHORE: The Anti-Corruption Establishment, Punjab, has issued the report of its performance in November 2019.According to the report, Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Punjab, has made historic recovery of Rs8, 615,000,000 in the month of November. Out of the amount recovered, Rs59,450,000 were recovered under the head of direct recovery and Rs58,100,000 under the head of indirect recovery. The rest, Rs8,497,450,000, amount was recovered under the head of land recovery.The ACE received 1,615 complaints and redressed 1,627 grievances, including previous complaints. Similarly, it held 397 inquiries and gave decision of 413 ongoing inquiries. As many as 112 cases were registered. Decisions were given on 109 ongoing cases. The ACE submitted 97 challans and conducted 16 raids. It arrested 119 accused.The ACE also nabbed a court absconder and 16 proclaimed offenders in Nov.ACE DG Muhammad Gohar Nafees has directed all the officers of the department to adopt zero-tolerance policy against the corrupt elements and take action against them without any discrimination.

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Meesha appears in court in libel case

LAHORE:Singer Meesha Shafi appeared for the first time in local court here Friday in defamation case filed by actor Ali Zafar against her but she could not record her statement.The case came up for hearing in Sessions Court led by Judge Amjad Ali Shah. On being summoned Meesha Shafi reached the court along with her mother Saba Hamid to record her statement. However, the court adjourned the hearing until today (Saturday) and summoned her again.It is pertinent to mention that Meesha Shafi on twitter had accused Ali Zafar of sexually harassing her in 2018. On the other hand, Ali Zafar had filed defamation suit amounting to Rs1 billion against Meesha Shafi.

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Woman turns out to be killer of husband

LAHORE:The Sundar investigation police have resolved a mystery behind the murder of a man who was killed on November 27, few hours after his arrival from Saudi Arabia. The victim's wife had allegedly killed him with the abetment of her lover, Faisal. The arrested accused have been identified as Faisal, Tayyab and Saleem.Woman killed: Unidentified suspects killed a woman at her house in the Kahna police limits on Friday. Police have removed the body to morgue for autopsy. The victim was identified as Raheela Bibi. Police reached the scene after being informed and collected forensic evidence.ticketed: More than 1,170,000 motorcyclists were issued tickets across the City on not wearing helmet, said Chief Traffic Officer Capt (r) Liaqat Ali Malik.The CTO said in view of the smog, action had also been taken against 52,000 heavy smoke-emitting vehicles. Strict implementation of the traffic laws has reduced head injury cases by 83 per cent. As many as 450 people died in 2017, 352 in 2018 and 184 people died in road accidents in the current year.open court: On the directions of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Deputy Inspector General of Police Lahore Rai Babar Saeed held an open court at his office and listened to the problems of the citizens.The DIG Operations issued orders to the police offices concerned for redress of genuine public grievances. performance: Jhelum police in a crackdown in November claimed to have arrested 121 criminals, including proclaimed offender.A large amount of drugs and unlicensed weapons was also recovered from the arrested persons. Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Punjab Shoaib Dastagir directed all the RPOs and DPOs to submit reports on police action against the criminal and anti-social elements. He directed that intelligence-based operations be speeded up. He directed the officers to review the security plans for sensitive installations, religious places, educational institutes and public places.In accordance with the instructions of the IG, Jhelum DPO Syed Hammad Abid sharing the performance of Jhelum police in last mother said police teams were working to eliminate drugs, anti-social elements and to improve the public service delivery.

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Civil, police officers warned against inefficiency

LAHORE :Punjab Chief Secretary Major (r) Azam Suleman Khan on Friday said that improvement in governance, public service delivery and promotion of transparency in the province is top priority. He said that officers would be given free hand but they would be held accountable.Addressing a meeting of senior civil and police officers at Civil Secretariat, the chief secretary said that officers’ performance would be reviewed on a monthly basis and those who failed to deliver would be sent packing. He mentioned that merit and transparency would have to be promoted to improve performance of the departments concerned.He asked the officers to perform their duties diligently and honestly so that desired targets could be achieved, adding that corruption and nepotism would not be tolerated in any case.He maintained that the government wanted to address people’s problems. He directed the officers to keep doors of their offices open for the public to resolve their problems. Implementation of open door policy and observance of office hours must be ensured, he added.He said that civil and police officers should enhance coordination and hold joint open courts in districts. He issued instructions to administrative secretaries to conduct field visit of districts and submit a report on regular basis. He announced that he would himself pay surprise visits to districts along with Inspector General of Police.He warned that profiteers, hoarders, and adulterators would be dealt with sternly. He directed the divisional commissioners to ensure availability of daily use commodities at the prices fixed by the government, saying that deputy commissioners and district police officers must visit fruit and vegetable markets to supervise auction process.He ordered that campaign against adulteration and spurious drugs be expedited and stern action be taken against land grabbers. He asked the commissioner and deputy commissioners to pay special attention to tree plantation and measures to combat smog.The chief secretary also issued instructions regarding use of IT to improve governance, timely resolution of complaints received through Pakistan Citizen Portal and holding regular meetings of divisional and district intelligence committees. The meeting was attended by chairman planning and development, additional chief secretary, additional chief secretary (Home), administrative secretaries of all departments, IG Police, Additional IG CTD, Additional IG Special Branch, CCPO Lahore whereas divisional commissioners and regional police officers joined the session through a video conferencing.Seminar: A seminar titled “Water Disputes in the 21st Century - The Case of Pakistan in the Global Wars on Water” was held at University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) here on Friday.According to a press release, the chief guest of the seminar was Justice Jawad Hassan while barrister Nudra Abdul-Majeed, advocates Rafay Alam, Dr Qamer Shahid and others led an intellectual discussion on the water crisis in Pakistan and proposed practical solutions to it. The Indus Waters Treaty was also discussed. The UVAS in collaboration with Pakistan Centre for Law and Society had organised the event.

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Police purchase house for martyred cop’s family

LAHORE:Lahore police purchased a newly-constructed house for the family of a shaheed assistant sub-inspector, Feyaz Ahmed, who laid his life in Arfa Kareem Tower bomb attack.CCPO Zulfiqar Hameed called on the family of shaheed ASI here on Friday and handed over a cheque for Rs12.5 million. According to the rules, the family of a shaheed cop is entitled to purchase newly-built house of their own choice in any residential scheme. The family of shaheed ASI Feyaz Ahmed has selected residential unit in Bahria Town Lahore which has been purchased by Police Department.The CCPO assured that job for daughter of the shaheed ASI would be arranged according to her educational qualifications. Meanwhile, CCPO Zulfiqar Hameed and DIG Operations Rai Babar Saeed paid joint visit to the Lahore High Court building and reviewed security arrangements. The CCPO directed the officers concerned to increase the number of snipers and the should remain present on the roofs all the time. He sought detailed report on security arrangements for LHC from the SP Security (high court) within 24 hours. He also directed that all security equipment should be functional and every visitor be checked thoroughly. He said that installment of new scanners would be considered.DIG Operations Rai Babar Saeed directed that all security staff should remain vigilant during court hours and all security SOPs must strictly be followed.Security: The security of the mosques, imambargahs and other religious places remained tightened on Jumma tul Mubarik in the metropolis. Following the directions from DIG Operations Lahore Rai Babar Saeed, all the divisional SPs, DSPs and SHOs reviewed and ensured tight security arrangements at all the religious places.Police officers along with the members of the Dolphin Squad and Police Response Unit remained alert at all the sensitive mosques and imambargahs. Police checked all the vehicles and suspicious persons at the entry and exit points of the City.Search operations were also conducted around sensitive areas in the City. Heavy contingents of Dolphin Squad, PRU, Elite force and Lahore police participated in the search operations.

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‘Student unions be restored only with preconditions’

LAHORE:Tanzim Islami (TI) Ameer Hafiz Akif Saeed has demanded that student unions should be restored but only with preconditions ensuring that anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan elements do not sneak into them, and the dignity of teachers and peaceful academic environment be upheld by them.Addressing a meeting on Friday, Hafiz Aakif Saeed recalled that student unions were banned on charges that they had converted the colleges/ universities into battle arenas by promoting the agenda of their respective political parties, trampled dignity of teachers and threatened even the vice chancellors of universities. He demanded strict code of conduct and discipline before restoring student unions.He strongly condemned the recent students’ movement across the country accusing the participants of pursuing anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan agenda. He argued why participants in red outfits chanted slogans of “Asia is Red” despite that communism and socialism (leftist ideologies) had become defunct and had been buried even in those countries once considered the cradles of these ideologies. Most importantly, he said, the slogans raised against the blasphemy laws (Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code) had proved that the participants were proponents of anti-Islam ideologies and notions.Moreover, he said, the participation linked to Manzoor Pashteen in the movement had put their loyalty to the state in question. He said their slogans also showed the students’ movement had complete backing of such NGOs trying to destroy the social system of the country through social engineering. He said it appeared that enemies of Islam wanted to create chaos and instability in Pakistan and were using these so-called ‘students’ to achieve their sinister objectives.

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Transformer at Sunder Industrial Estate

LAHORE:Chairman NEPRA, Tauseef H Farooqi, inaugurated 40MW transformer at Sunder Industrial Estate here Friday.In the presence of Syed Nabeel Hashmi, PIEDMC Chairman and Lesco CEO, while talking to media, he assured of full support to the industrialists over supply of affordable electricity through opening of opportunity in a transparent manner.He also participated in the meeting of Board of Directors of Punjab Industrial Estates Development & Management Co (PIEDMC) & Board of Management Sunder Industrial Estate (BOMSIE).Syed Nabeel Hashmi, Chairman PIEDMC, said power plays a vital role in poverty alleviation and job creation, as newly-inaugurated power capacity will provide job opportunities for 15,000 workers at Sunder. He lauded the vision of prime minister and his team for support in resolving all the pending issues. He assured that there would be no shortfall of electricity in Pakistan. Hashmi appreciated the efforts of PIEDMC to overcome energy shortage in Sunder Industrial Estate where more than 600 industrial units are contributing to increase the gross domestic production of the country.It is worth mentioning that there was no outage in all the eight industrial estates being run by PIEDMC because of its successful load management plan.President BOMSIE, Shahzad Azam Khan lauded efforts of Chairman Syed Nabeel Hashmi, Lesco CEO and members of Board of Directors, PIEDMC to resolve energy issue faced by the industries located in Sunder Estate and said that the public private sector venture had successfully rendered national service to business community.

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PTI leader meets Shujaat, joins PML-Q

LAHORE:Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Abbottabad leader, Sardar Rashid advocate called on Pakistan Muslim League-Q President and former Prime Minister Ch Shujaat Hussain and MNAs Moonis Elahi & Salik Hussain at their residence on Friday and announced joining the PML-Q along with his colleagues.On this occasion, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q KP President Mehboobullah Jan, General Secretary Wajeehuzzaman, former MPA Javaid Nasim, PML Senior Vice-President Yousuf Khan Hoti, former candidate Provincial Assembly Haripur Sardar Adil Hameed, Sardar Faisal Hameed, Sardar Asim, PML Youth Wing Provincial Chief Malik Jamil, former candidate NA-17 Haripur Waqar Tanoli were also present.Pervaiz: Acting Governor of Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has said that in order to enable the country stand on its own feet the education system will have to be improved. He expressed these views while talking to the school staff and students during his visit to a school in Gujrat on Friday. On this occasion, Ch Pervaiz Elahi gifted two air-conditioned coasters for students. He also inaugurated the art exhibition and new computer lab. Ch Pervaiz Elahi inter-mingled with the students.Pervaiz Elahi, “I had inaugurated this school 15 years back, today on seeing it flourishing I am very happy, I wish that education up to graduation should be imparted in it and boarding facility should also be provided.” He asked Principal Raheel Ahmad Jan to take the school up to A and O levels so that the students do not have to travel to Lahore or other cities. On this occasion, PA Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti, Deputy Commissioner Dr Khurrum Shehzad, former provincial minister Imran Masood, MPA Abdullah Yousuf and other leaders were also present.

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PU Senate polls result announced

LAHORE:Punjab University (PU) has announced the result of its senate's elections on the six seats of principals of affiliated colleges and five seats of registered graduates.According to the poll count on the seats of principals Aslam Pervaiz, Ahsan Mukhtar, Anjum Nizami, Nasreen Aftab, Nuzhatur Rehman and Farah Rasheed got 64, 62, 61, 56, 56 and 53 votes, respectively and won the elections.There were 16 contestants while 127 voters used their right to vote. On the seats of registered graduates, Ms Zunaira Fareed and Yamna Sadaf got 744 and 626 votes, respectively and won 2 seats reserved for women. On general seats, Malla Khan Haidri, Muhammad Arif and Adrees Ahmad obtained 456, 452 and 446 votes, respectively. There were 15 contestants and out of 1,064, more than 1,000 voters took part in the polling, said a PU spokesman.

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Agreement

The National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) and the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) on Friday signed an agreement for provision of internet bandwidth (400Mbps) committed information rate (CIR) circuit.NTC Divisional Engineer Muzammal Hameed and PITB DG Faisal Yousaf signed the agreement. NTC General Manager M Sagheer Mehdi and PITB Chairman Azfar Manzoor witnessed the agreement signing ceremony held at Arfa Kareem Software Technology Park.The NTC GM called the agreement a practical example of mutual cooperation between the federal and provincial governments in the telecom services. He hoped both departments would play their role in supply of services in the e-governance and IT.

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Survey on violence against healthcare workers launched

Islamabad:More than one-third of the healthcare providers participating in a survey conducted to ascertain the magnitude of violence against them reported having experienced some form of violence in the last six months, informs a study titled ‘Violence against Healthcare Workers: A Survey across 16 Cities of Pakistan.’Compiled by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in collaboration with local research institutes and partners, the survey covered 8,579 healthcare workers in 16 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab, and Islamabad to determine the extent, causes and types of violence experienced by different levels of healthcare staff. The survey also examines existing policies to protect healthcare workers working across all levels and in different institutions.Speaking at the launch ceremony of the study here on Friday, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr. Sania Nishtar underlined the grave consequences of violence and its adverse effects on healthcare delivery. “It is important that we, as healthcare practitioners and as attendants work on changing behaviours towards violence against healthcare, adopt specific multi-disciplinary strategies to protect healthcare.”Head of Delegation of ICRC Pakistan Dragana Kojic highlighted the objectives of the Health Care in Danger (HCiD) Initiative, a global initiative to improve access to healthcare and make its delivery safer in conflict and other emergencies. “When a hospital is attacked or a healthcare worker is threatened, the result is that a mother and daughter in need of immediate care may not get it. It also means that a healthcare worker may be psychologically traumatized while in the line of duty,” she said.The study highlights the need to train healthcare workers in skills of emergency communication to de-escalate violence, development of policies on protection of healthcare including zero tolerance for violence against healthcare workers, public awareness campaigns and better community engagement. The study was conducted in collaboration with APNAA Institute of Public Health, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, Institute of Public Health Khyber Medical University, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Lahore ISRA University, Islamabad, and Faisalabad Medical University. This study was possible also through facilitation of the respective health departments, and health care personnel and administrators of healthcare facilities in the three provinces and the federal capital.Head of the HCiD initiative in Pakistan Dr. Mirwais Khan said, “This is the third study on the magnitude and patterns of violence against healthcare in Pakistan. The more we study this phenomenon, the more the data informs us that we need to address systemic gaps and strengthen trust in the healthcare system and the healthcare providers to reduce such instances.”The ICRC has been working to address the issue of violence against medical personnel and facilities in Pakistan by promoting evidence-based initiatives in collaboration with the government, Pakistan Red Crescent Society, health departments, leading universities and public hospitals. This year, with the support of partners, the ICRC launched ‘Bharosa Karein,’ a campaign on increasing respect for healthcare workers. The ‘Rasta Dein’ and ‘Pehlay Zindagi’ campaigns of 2016 and 2017 were also part of this effort and aimed at improving respect for the right of way for ambulances.

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Fitness centre set up in IPH

LAHORE:A gymnasium/fitness centre equipped with the latest machines has been set up with the collaboration of World Health Organization (WHO) in the Institute of Public Health (IPH).According to a press release, WHO Country Head Dr Palitha Mahipala inaugurated the gym on Friday. Former Punjab Governor and IPH Board of Management Chairman Lt Gen Khalid Maqbool, IPH Dean Prof Zarfishan Tahir and other senior officials were also present.Dr Mahipala said promotion and adoption of healthy lifestyle was essential for prevention of diseases. He said taking balanced diet/nutrition, refraining from smoking and alcohol and doing regular exercise/physical activities was necessary for healthy life. Dr Mahipala said setting up gym in IPH was to emphasise the importance of physical healthy activities.Lt-Gen (r) Khalid Maqbool said role of IPH in promotion of healthy lifestyle, creation of awareness and prevention of diseases would be expanded and WHO's collaboration in this regard would be appreciated. Dr Zarfishan Tahir declared the IPH as no-smoking area. She said the decision would strictly be implemented in the institute. She said the gymnasium facility was available for all the faculty members, students and the employees of the institute.

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Workshop

LAHORE:The noted institute of calligraphy and allied arts, Nexskill, is holding workshop on calligraphy on Saturday (today) for the students of schools and colleges. In a press release, Nexskill director said presidential award winner calligraphist Ustad Khurshid Alam Gohar Qalam will deliver lectures at the workshop.

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English translation of Bulleh Shah, Faiz recited

Islamabad:To translate the work of legendry Urdu and Punjabi poets including Iqbal, Faiz, and Bulleh Shah in English or any other language requires extraordinary passion for literature and a great thirst to forward the message of these great poets to the world.Both these conditions were amicably met by Syed Ahmed Hassan Shah as he celebrated the work of these remarkable poets by reciting his English translations of their work in a gathering of literature lovers of Islamabad at an event titled ‘TransPoetica: A recitation of Iqbal, Faiz, and Bulleh Shah’ organised by Idara-e-Farogh-e-Qaumi Zuban. The event was chaired by Fateh Muhammad Malik with Professor Dr Ahsan Akbar as the chief guest. A lawyer by profession, Syed Ahmed Hassan Shah mesmerized the audiences with the choice of words while also capturing and conveying the right melody and the mood of the original work. It was a joy to listen to the famous poems such as ‘Hum Daikhien Gay’ by Faiz, ‘Shikwa Jawab e Shikwa’ by national poet Allama Iqbal and ‘Ki Jana Mien Kon’ by Baba Bulleh Shah.Speaking on this occasion, Professor Dr Ahsan Akbar said that translation of poetic work requires extraordinary creativity and hard work. “It is not at all easy to convey the true spirit of the poetry in another language but unfortunately, the importance of translation is not recognized as it should be in our society and also in academically,” he added.Professor Dr Ahsan Akbar also highlighted the role played by translations in the world history. He said in history, nations prospered when they acquired the knowledge and valued the work done by other nations through translations. “Muslims translated the work of Latin scientists and similarly the work of Muslim scientists was translated by the west. The process shall go on,” he said adding that even today, for any literary tradition to establish its recognition at the global level, the most compelling condition is to get translated. Chair of the event Fateh Muhammad Malik translation of the poetic wonders of Urdu poets and regional writers is not only important to convey that to the world but is equally important for the young generation of our country. “Unfortunately, education system is such that our own children fail to understand the poetry of legendry Urdu and regional poets which makes it more important to focus on quality translations of Urdu literature,” he opined. “Today we see that serious translations and translators are not truly appreciated or valued. Thus it is heartening to see the attendance and appreciation of the superb English rendering of the poetry of Baba Bulleh Shah, Iqbal and Faiz today. The translations are indeed commendable as too is the selection of poems for translation,” said eminent rights activist Tahira Abdullah.Our correspondent adds: Non-availability of speed checking cameras on motorway (M-3) section from 'Lahore to Abdul Hakeem', causing fatal accidents due to speeding.230-km long M-3 is a 6-lane highway with 3 rest areas along the motorway, was inaugurated on 30 March 2019 and was opened for traffic on 1 April 2019. After the seven months of inauguration, National Highway Authority (NHA) couldn’t provide portable speed checking cameras to the National Highways & Motorway Police (NH&MP).

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Reunited

LAHORE:The Lahore Investigation Wing reunited a runaway 17-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy with their families on Friday.The girl, M, had left house after her parents had rejected a marriage proposal by her boyfriend and the boy Ejaz fled from the house and went to Azad Kashmir where he had been working as labourer for the last one year. Shalimar Investigation police traced the girl through modern technology and South Cantt Investigation police traced the boy from Azad Kashmir.

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Focus on remote areas uplift: Buzdar

LAHORE:Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has said that the past governments economically paralysed the country for the sake of their personal interests and ruined its institutions.However, Pakistan is now moving towards economic development due to the prudent policies of the PTI government, he maintained. Talking to the parliamentarians who called on him in his office on Wednesday, the chief minister said the opportunity of serving the masses was being fulfilled as a noble cause. He said that backward areas would be brought on a par with the developed cities of the province and no area would remain under-developed as the PTI government had diverted development towards backward areas. The parliamentarians apprised the chief minister of the problems as well as development schemes relating to their constituencies. The chief minister issued instructions for the solution of their problems.Talking on the occasion, Usman Buzdar reiterated the commitment to transform Punjab into an exemplary province in accordance with the vision of the prime minister. He said the government was giving due respect to the elected representatives.The past governments economically paralysed the country for the sake of their personal interests and ruined its institutions. However, Pakistan is now moving towards economic development due to the prudent policies of the PTI government, he maintained. He said the government did not believe in hollow slogans but practical steps were being taken for providing basic amenities to the masses. The opportunity of serving the masses was being fulfilled as a noble cause, he said, adding that backward areas would be brought on a par with the developed cities of the province and no area would remain under-developed as the PTI government had diverted development towards backward areas.The assembly members should regularly visit markets for ensuring relief to the people, the chief minister added. Provincial Ministers Shaukat Ali Lalika, Muhammad Jehanzeb KhanKhichi, Muhammad Akhlaq and PMAs, including Muhammad Ijaz Hussain, Rai Zahoor Ahmad, Muhammad Ali Raza Khan Khaqwani, Firdous Rana, Shamim Aftab, Zafar Iqbal, Ghulam Ali Asghar, Sabrina Javed, Abida Bibi, Farah Agha, Shaheena Kareem and others called on the CM whereas Chief Whip Syed Abbas Ali Shah and high officials were also present on this occasion.Sugarcane farmers’ interests to be protected: CMAg APPLAHORE: Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar presided over a meeting in his office here on Wednesday to review starting of sugarcane crushing season and steps taken for payments to the growers.The meeting also considered different proposals for reviewing the sugarcane support price for the current season, however, a final approval would be given by the Punjab cabinet in this regard.Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said that the government would ensure the protection of sugarcane farmers’ interests and growers would be given full reward of their hard work. No stone will be left unturned to protect the rights of sugarcane farmers, he reiterated.Similarly, deduction in sugarcane weight will never be allowed and indiscriminate action will be initiated on such complaints, he added. Usman Buzdar said the PTI government was farmers friendly in every respect and was striving for increasing the farmers'' income as well as the promotion of the agriculture sector.Punjab was an agrarian province and development of agricultural economy on modern lines was the priority of the government, he added. The chief minister was briefed that 5 lac metric ton sugar stock was available and production of around 35 lac metric ton sugar was expected in upcoming season.Ministers Mian Aslam Iqbal, Syed Saeed-ul-Hassan Shah, Samiullah Chaudhary, Nauman Langrial, ACS, provincial secretaries and others attended the meeting.NOTICEChief Minister Usman Buzdar has taken notice of rape and murder of a girl in Aimanabad and sought a report from RPO Gujranwala. He directed the police to take strict legal action against the accused and provide justice to the bereaved family at every cost.

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Man shot dead by robbers

LAHORE:A father of three children was gunned down by four robbers in his Sundar House on Wednesday.The victim identified as Arif, 40, resident of Mohlanwal, Sundar, had recently returned from Saudi Arabia. On the day of the incident, four robbers broke into his house and made the inmates hostage at gunpoint. Arif offered resistance, on which the robbers shot at, wounded him and escaped with valuables. The injured man was rushed to hospital where he died. Body was shifted to morgue.pickpockets: Lahore Investigation police arrested four criminals, including two pickpockets. Ravi Road Investigation police arrested an alleged thief and recovered illegal weapons from his possession. The arrested man was identified as Nazeer Ahmad. Nawankot Investigation police arrested one Tahir Mahmood for being involved in street crimes. Ichhara Investigation police arrested two pickpockets Imran and Khurram and recovered cash from their possession.accident: Two men were injured after their speeding car met with a road accident near Babu Sabu Interchange Motorway on Wednesday. Police said that both the car riders were under the influence of liquor. Both the injured persons were shifted to hospital and a case was registered against them.Rescue 1122: Ten persons were killed and 1,016 injured in different road accidents across the Punjab province during the last 24 hours.The Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) responded to 900 accidents in all 36 districts of Punjab during the last 24 hours. Around 588 seriously injured persons were shifted to different hospitals and 428 injured were treated on the spot by Rescue medical teams.NHMP: National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) and a private law college signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for provision of special educational package for the children of NHMP employees. The MoU was signed by Sector Commander Central-1 NHMP, Chief Executive Officer and Principal of the law college.As per details, the children of martyred, injured in the line of duty and in-service officers will get 50 percent waiver upon total dues of LLB as a scholarship.Motorway Police officers present on the occasion responded that provision of quality education was a big task for employees with average income and these welfare-oriented steps of the department would boost their morale. The officers thanked the senior command for materialising welfare policies.PHP: Punjab Highway Patrol helped 4,167 commuters, removed 361 encroachments and reunited seven lost children to their families during the last week. PHP registered 136 cases against rash and irresponsible driving and 30 cases against fake or green registration plates. Four cases were registered against the violation of sound act on the highways. Police arrested 63 people for installing prohibited gas cylinders in their vehicles.cases registered: Price control magistrates raided 7,240 shops to monitor prices across the province, registered 102 cases and arrested 117 persons. Spokesman for Industries and Trade Department stated that raids of price control magistrates were ongoing to monitor prices of essential edibles across the province. The spokesman said that price control magistrates raided 7,240 shops to monitor prices across the province.

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Doctors observe token protest

LAHORE :The doctors and other medical staff observe token protest for one hour in teaching hospitals of Punjab on Wednesday against lawyers’ alleged highhandedness and manhandling of hospital staff in Punjab Institute of Cardiology the other day.According to Grand Health Alliance (GHA) Chairman Dr Salman Haseeb, doctors, paramedics, security staff and patients’ attendants participated in the protest in outdoor wards from 11am to 12pm, against lack of security in hospitals, resulting in frequent incidents of torture of medical staff and ransacking of hospital paraphernalia in public sector hospitals. Despite availability of video evidence of lawyers’ highhandedness against medical staff in the OPD of PIC, police, under pressure from the lawyer community, declared the medical staff terrorists by registering an FIR under 7 ATA, said the GHA chairman. He demanded withdrawal of the case against doctors and medical staff. Otherwise, they will expand the scope of protest in public sector hospitals.

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City receives scattered rain

Partly cloudy weather with scattered rain was witnessed in the City here Wednesday while Met office predicted similar weather conditions for the next 24 hours. Met office predicted that mainly dry weather is expected in most parts of the country while cold in northern areas. They said that on Wednesday minimum temperature was recorded at Kalam, Bagrote and Kalat where mercury dropped down to -02°C while in Lahore, it was 12.7°C and maximum was 22.5°C.

from The News International - Lahore https://ift.tt/37FMBVP

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