FAFEN organises vote

registration fair in Lakki

From G Mursalin Marwat

LAKKI MARWAT: Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen), a non-governmental organisation organised a vote registration fair in Shagai, a remote village of the district. Women eligible for registration in the voter lists participated in the event.

“The women eligible to be registered as voters also carried their computerised national identity cards (CNICs) but their registration could not be made due to absence of the concerned officials of Election Commission office on the spot”, said Nadim Khattak, a member of constituency relation group of Fafen on Wednesday.

Fafen coordinator Fouzia told on the occasion that at least twenty million eligible persons could be registered as voters in the computerised voter lists before the last general elections.

“The number of eligible people who could not register their names in electoral lists so far is now up to forty million”, she maintained. He said that these people despite being eligible would be unable to use the right of franchise in the upcoming local bodies’ polls.

She told that Fafen had launched voter registration drive across the country, saying that holding of voter registration fair was part of the mobilisation aiming to create awareness among the eligible people to get themselves registered in the voter lists.

Exam ordered: Taking action on the complaints of All Primary Teachers Association district chapter the Elementary and Secondary Education Department authorities have ordered holding of annual examination of grade three and four of the girls’ primary schools in the respective schools.

Sources said on Wednesday that officials of the female section of the department had made clusters of girls’ primary schools with at least nine schools in each cluster for the purpose to conduct annual examination of grade three and four students in a centre school of the cluster.

The annual examination of grade one to four of the primary schools is likely to start from March 15. “The female teachers strongly reacted to the decision besides the parents were also reluctant to send their daughters to a school situated at the distance where examination centre was set up”, sources maintained.

“How is it possible for the female teachers to take the students of their schools to another school for appearing in the annual home examination,” sources told quoting a local Apta leader as saying. Sensing the gravity and seriousness of the situation Apta’s district president Zafar Iqbal Khan Meenakhel, general secretary Haji Abdul Rahim and coordination secretary Iqbal Mehmood brought the matter into the notice of ESED EDO Haji Noor Hasan Khan, DO Muhammad Ayyub and DDO (female) primary Azra Parveen. They complained that the decision if implemented would add to the miseries of teachers and minor students as well.

“In the prevailing circumstances and poor security situation it is an unwise step to send female teachers and students to distant school for examination purpose”, they maintained. They informed the ESED officials that the decision had spread a wave of unrest and concern among the female teachers and parents of girl students.

They requested the authorities to withdraw the decision and allow the headmistresses and teachers of girls’ primary schools to make arrangements for holding annual examination of primary classes in their respective schools.

American hunts

Kashmir Markhor

CHITRAL: Daniel Smith became the second American citizen who hunted a precious Kashmir Markhor at Gahiret Village Conservation Committee (VCC) area.

Talking to this scribe Daniel Smith said that he conducted dozens of hunting of wildlife but he had never seen such species of any wildlife like Kashmir Markhor which is existing only in Chitral.

He said that for this purpose he paid 65000 US $ for a hunting trophy permit from Pakistan Wildlife department. He said that he stayed in the mountains of Gahiret for 8 days and on 9th day he succeeded to hunt a mature Kashmir Markhor at snow bound mountains early in the morning.

Horns of Markhor were measured up to 46 inches while it was 11 years old.

About the controversial news in Western media about terrorism in Pakistan Daniel Smith said that Western media projecting controversial news about Pakistan which is contrary to the ground realities. He said that Markhor is the rarest generation of wild life in the world.

Talking about the peaceful environment of Chitral Daniel said that "I think this is the only part of the world which is still peaceful and people of Chitral are peace lovers and polite."

Conveying his message to world tourists and hunter Daniel Smith said that I want to communicate my message to the tourists and hunters the world over to visit this place and enjoy hunting. - APP

Constable, PO injured in mid-night operation: DPO

SWABI: A constable and proclaimed offender sustained serious wounds in an exchange of fire between police party and outlaws at Naranji area during mid-night operation.

DPO Swabi Imran Shahid informed media men said that police on a tip off about hideouts of the proclaimed offenders wanted in murder and other crimes of serious nature here in Naranji, conducted mid-night operation. The operation was carried out jointly by Swabi, Mardan and Buner police, he said, adding that the criminals traded fire with the police when the law enforcers raided their hideouts seriously injuring constable Asghar and hardened criminal Akhtar.

DPO said that police have arrested the offenders and recovered one Kalashnikov, gun, pistol and hundreds of cartridges from their custody.

In another raid in Kau Khan area, the police have apprehended five proclaimed offenders, three Kalashnikovs, one kalakov, three each guns, rifles and pistols, cartridges and two bottles of liquor from the custody of the outlaws. - APP

Spillways considered as workable solution to release water from Hunza river

ISLAMABAD: Experts on Wednesday partially agreed on the option of spillways to release water from an artificial lake formed after blockade of Hunza river due to massive avalanche near Ata Abad in Northern Areas.

Frontier Works Organization representative assured the high level meeting chaired by Environment Minister Hamidullah Jan Afridi and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira that spillways could be the better solution to release water.

Though, former Governor NWFP and Chairman Wapda, Shamsul Mullek repeatedly warned of a disaster if release is delayed as daily the lake level was rising by two feet and by now had reached to 215 ft, yet the FWO set the mid-April target for water release.

The experts have also calculated a high tide in Hunza river if avalanche cracks and the lake bursts out, threatening almost 15,000 population from Hunza to Gilgit and more downstream in Kohistan district and other areas upto Tarbela.

Minister for Environment, Hamidullah Jan Afridi and Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira assured all out support to FWO to complete the spillways as early as possible.

The FWO informed that 70% work on spillways has been completed and remaining 30% will be completed by mid-April and assured that by then there is no severe threat of outburst.

However, both the ministers directed the concerned authorities to be on their toes to meet any eventuality and prepare an emergency plan to evacuate the affected people and settle them at a proper place also ensuring provision of necessary items during their displacement period.

"We are here to support your every effort and ensure proper arrangements as human lives are important than anything else," both the ministers assured the meeting, attended by representatives of NESPAK, SUPARCO, NDMA, WAPDA, NWFP and Gilgit-Baltistan governments.

"Let the FWO continue its work and complete it within required time and the administration prepare emergency plan if the need arises to evacuate the residents," said Hamidullah Jan Afridi.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira directed the FWO to make such arrangements that work continuesly day and night and is completed even prior to set target.

He also assured all out support from the federal government as well as from the Gilgit-Baltistan government to expedite work and ensure safe evacuation of people if required.

He also directed the representative from NWFP government to prepare a plan to evacuate people from Kohistan district and other areas down to Tarbela in view of any impending eventuality.

The meeting was also informed about the baseline seepage as the FWO representative mentioned to 10 cusec seepage daily, though

he claimed, it was clean water and posed no threat of outburst. According to SCOPE, an NGO closely linked to situation estimated that around 500,000 people will be affected if lake outbursts, with 15,000 residents of the areas from Hunza to Gilgit as the most vulnerable.

Hunza river was blocked after a two kilometer wide and 380 ft high avalanche slipped into it at Ata Abad on January 04 blocking the river water that has now formed a 215 ft deep and 11.5 kilometer long lake.

According to experts, outburst of the lake will not only displace thousands of residents, most probably damage 30 km long patch of Korakorum highway but also have a reverse flow impact on Gilgit, Gizer and Skardu rivers like the 1858 floods that had reversed the flow of Kabul river up to 50 kilometres.

As the water level in the lake is rising by two feet daily (presently at 215 ft), the situation will become more dangerous with flow increasing after snow melting as temperature usually rise up to four degree centigrade in April. - APP

GCU endowment announces 21 lifetime scholarships

LAHORE: The Government College University Lahore Endowment Fund Trust (GCU EFT) Wednesday announced 21 lifetime scholarships for deserving students with the donations by old Ravians and philanthropists.

GCU EFT Executive Committee Secretary Khalid Manzoor Butt said that the scholarships include 11 golden and 10 sliver scholarships.

"A golden scholarship covers the university fee as well as hostel expenses of a student while a sliver scholarship covers the university fee only," Butt said, adding that the scholarships initiated on the special directions of Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Aftab would be given to GCU students on merit every year.

He said scholarships are named after those people who donate money for them. GCU Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Aftab has also donated Rs 500,000 to initiate a lifetime scholarship for deserving students.

However, Butt said the other scholarships include three by Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, three by Iqbal Z Ahmed, one of Bank Al Habib Limited, two by Infaq Foundation, one by Allied Bank of Pakistan and one scholarship of Mian Misbaur Rehman.

Dr Khalid Aftab said that every year around 2,100 GCU students from intermediate to PhD level apply for the financial aid, but the university due to limited finical resources accommodate only 20 percent of them.

He said that GCU established the endowment fund to bridge the gap. - APP

LHC orders to hand over minor boy to Polish mother

LAHORE: Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Khawaja Muhammad Sharif Wednesday ordered to hand over a minor boy to his Polish mother.

The court passed the orders on a petition filed by Justyna Bernadeta, a polish national, who submitted in her petition that she met Muhammad Khan in Birmingham and they orally married.

The couple came to Pakistan and as a result of this wedlock, Muhammad Al-Aqsa Khan was born but thereafter the relations between the couple became strained.

The respondent divorced her verbally and snatched her son and other important documents. Later, she approached the respondent and he willingly handed over Al-Aqsa on February 5 but again he snatched the minor after two days.

She prayed the court to hand over the custody of her son. After hearing the arguments, the court accepted the petition observing that the petition was maintainable and ordered respondent to hand over the minor to the mother who was also present in court. - APP