At least one man was killed, another injured when a landmine exploded in Balochistan’s Kohlu district on Sunday.

According to Express News, Maulvi Shambu Khan was killed while Nawab Khan was injured in a landmine attack in the Chappi Kach area of Kahan tehsil.

14 killed as passenger van hits landmine in Kurram Agency

The injured was shifted to a local hospital.

Following the incident, paramilitary forces cordoned off the area for a search operation while security was put on high alert.

On Friday, security forces, as part of the continuing Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, killed one and apprehended seven other terrorists in raids carried out in Balochistan, according to the ISPR.

A large cache of arms, ammunition and explosives were also recovered during the operation.

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Source: Tribune News | Kohlu landmine blast leaves one dead, another injured

ISLAMABAD: The protesting employees of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Saturday announced that if the amendment bill that seeks the hospital’s separation from medical university is not cleared by the cabinet in its next meeting, all healthcare services will be shut down on Wednesday.

The medical and non-medical employees of the hospital have been protesting since October 2 and boycotted their duties for over two weeks, demanding a separation of the hospital from Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU). Later, this week the OPD and laboratories services began functioning partially after keeping it closed for two weeks. Patients were registered for check-ups and lab tests after 11am.

Still the services are being affected as employees have been protesting at the premises holding rallies and sit-ins making speeches and raising slogans on loudspeakers where  even blowing horns is prohibited.

On Saturday too they held a huge gathering inside the hospital near emergency area wherein representatives of trade unions, other hospitals and political parties participated and assured their participation and support for the cause.

They announced that on Monday and Tuesday they will protest from 11am to onwards meaning that the OPDs will remain shut after 11am.

Addressing the protesters Dr. Asfandyar Khan said they have always believed the government pledges but they never kept their words and despite the lapse of three years the bill is still pending. This time, he said, they will not end their protest until the bill sails through parliament.

The Cabinet that is expected to meet on Tuesday does not clear the bill to be tabled in the National Assembly they will completely close the healthcare services except emergency services from Wednesday, he said.

MNA Sahibzada Tariqullah of JI said Pims not only caters to the healthcare needs of the twin cities but from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa also large number of patients come to the hospitals. But now they are not coming due to strikes and protests, he added. I will raise this issue in the National Assembly and if the bill is not passed on November 2, the day session will commences we will also sit outside the parliament along with the Pims employees, he said.

The demands of the protesters are genuine as after serving years they have been told that they are no more government employees and they have no civil servant rights after the upgradation of the hospital into a university, the protesters said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2017.

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Source: Tribune News | PIMS separation from SZABMU: Protesters warn complete shutdown if bill not passed

ISLAMABAD: Two officials of the Islamabad Police were held by Punjab Police after unlicenced weapons and liquor were recovered from them on Friday. The Islamabad cops were arrested by police in Gujar Khan and were released on bail on Saturday.

Officials said Constable Muhammad Umar of Tarnol Police Station was found in possession of two unlicenced pistols when his car was searched at a police checkpoint on GT Road near Gujar Khan.

A while later, the same Gujar Khan policeman searched another car at the same spot and recovered a bottle of imported whisky from under the driver’s seat. The driver, Nisar Safdar, works in Islamabad Police Special Branch as a constable.

Gujar Khan police told The Express Tribune that both the suspects were arrested on Friday and were released on bail on Saturday.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2017.

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Source: Tribune News | Punjab police arrest two Islamabad cops

PESHAWAR: Farid Toofan, the provincial president of the Awami National Party-Wali (ANP-W), joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday.

Toofan said he had joined the PTI at Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence in the presence of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.

He accused ANP President Asfandyar Wali Khan of expelling him from the party after the merger of two ANP factions, insisting that he had no other option but to join the PTI.

“I had loyally served the ANP for the past 50 years, rendering sacrifices for the party. But in the end, I had to leave the party because of its corrupt leadership,” he said.

Both ANP factions likely to reunite prior to 2018 polls

Toofan said when Begum Nasim Wali Khan, who led her own faction of the ANP, joined hand with Asfandyar Wali, merging her party with the ANP, the party chief clearly told her that he was willing to forego everything, but there was no place for Toofan in his party.

He said he had only two options: form his own party or join another. He said he had joined the PTI after consulting with all of his supporters.

“It is the only party that is truly working for the rights of people,” the veteran politician said of the PTI. “Forming an independent party is a difficult task and required too much money. This is why I decided to join the PTI and serve the people.”

He said he did not long for a party ticket, but would gladly accept it if chosen by the party.

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Source: Tribune News | ANP loyalist Farid Toofan joins PTI

PESHAWAR: A writ petition has been filed in the Peshawar High Court (PHC), asking it to stay the execution of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, and declaring it illegal.

Maulana Amanullah Haqqani of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) filed the petition on Saturday, just two days after the project’s inauguration, citing “technical and legal flaws” in the project.

Through his counsel Essa Khan, the petitioner submitted that there were a number of flaws in the project design due to which it was bound to fail and the public would be unnecessarily burdened with loans.

Khattak breaks ground for Peshawar BRT

No feasibility report had been prepared, he said, adding that no development work could be taken up without such a report.

“The project’s draft design was never prepared while its preliminary design was approved even before preparing a detailed design. This also violates normal procedure for executing any development project,” the petitioner submitted.

Objection was also raised by the Provincial Developmental Working Party (PDWD) to the approval of PC-1 before detailed design, claimed the petitioner, expressing concern over a possible public inconvenience in alleged absence of alternate arrangements for movement of traffic in the city.

“Also under the project, old transport system will be replaced which will (render) transporters jobless, besides having a negative impact on city’s businesses,” he said.

With a few months left in the expiry of the government tenure, starting such a big project, likely to become a liability for the coming governments in the province, could not be permitted legally, according to the petitioner.

K-P govt to dole out Rs30 million for BRT office

The project, he pointed out, also lacked approval from the Central Developmental Working Party (CDWP) and the Executive Committee of National Economics (ECNEC).

No assembly approval

The petitioner also pointed out that the project had not been approved by the provincial cabinet or the provincial assembly, as required under Articles 129, 130, 120 and 124 of the Constitution.

He stated that it was not possible to run such a huge project without subsidy and it would be a constant burden on the exchequer of the poor province.

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Source: Tribune News | Court moved for blocking Peshawar bus project