Islamabad: Gunmen have kidnapped two men working for the U.N. Children's Fund from Pakistan's southern city of Karachi, police said Saturday. Image for representation only (courtesy: PTI) The two Pakistani men were on their way to a bus terminal to pick up some relatives when they were taken, the police official said. The men were taken on Thursday night, he said. So far, no ransom call had been received, he said, and it was unclear who was holding the men. The police officer asked not to be named since he was not authorized to speak to the media. A spokeswoman for the U.N. Children's Fund, also known as UNICEF, was not available to comment. The port city of Karachi is Pakistan's financial heart and home to 18 million people. Many neighbourhoods are considered Taliban strongholds, including the area of Shorab Goth, which is near where the men were taken. In February, gunmen kidnapped three Pakistani men working for the U.N.'s World Health Organisation in the northwestern town of Tank. They are still being held. Pakistan is plagued by kidnapping gangs. Foreigners and wealthy Pakistanis are frequently targeted and kidnappings are reported on a near-daily basis. Current hostages include an American aid worker, the son of a former prime minister, the son of a former provincial governor, and many professionals such as doctors and lawyers. Militant groups such as the Taliban often use such kidnappings to raise money for their insurgency. The Taliban have been fighting for years to overthrow the democratically elected government and impose strict Islamic law on the country of 180 million people.
Pakistan, China begin two-week joint military exercise
ISLAMABAD: A two-week joint military exercise between the armies of Pakistan and China began today near the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
" Peace Angel 2014" would certainly pave the way for further cementing the existing bilateral relations between armies of the two countries, a statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The statement added that the joint exercise was aimed at sharing mutual experience and information in the medical field through a comprehensive training programme in a near real-time environment. Pakistan Army's Major General Hamayun Aziz, and senior Colonel Liu Agiou of China's People Liberation Army represented their respective nations in the opening ceremony.
Flags of both countries were hoisted and national anthems played to mark the start of the military exercise. The exercise has been particularly designed within the scope of disaster relief operations caused due to massive floods and terrorist attacks on relief camps. It would also provide an opportunity to exchange latest technological advancements in the field of medicine to improve medical operations during times of war and peace.
High line losses a big challenge for Pesco
PESHAWAR: Containing high line losses has turned out to be a big challenge for the Peshawar Electric Supply Company.
Recently, state minister for water and power Abid Sher Ali threatened suspension of electric supply from 11 feeders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over high line losses.
A senior Pesco official told Dawn that the federal government should conduct a survey to know why the people were illegally using hooks for electricity.
KP still unwilling to allow launch of Malala’s book
PESHAWAR: The Taliban militants’ fear continues to hinder the launch of girls education campaigner Malala Yousafzai’s book in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The government had stopped the launch of ‘I am Malala’ in Peshawar two and half months ago in the wake of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s threat of attacks against bookshops selling the book.
“We’d reached the relevant people in Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government for permission to launch the book, but to no avail. PTI chairman Imran Khan had tweeted he was at a loss to understand why the book’s launch had been stopped in Peshawar. However, the PTI government in the province isn’t ready to allow us to launch the book,” Khadim Hussain, director at the Bacha Khan Education Foundation, told Dawn on Tuesday.
Abuse of power: NAB gets 10-day custody of Mardan DSP
PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa obtained a 10-day physical remand of a serving DSP in Mardan for allegedly possessing assets worth millions of rupees.
DSP Rajab Ali, a former Hayatabad police station SHO, was produced before Accountability Court Judge Tariq Yousafzai for obtaining a physical remand amid tight security.
NAB Special Prosecutor Lajbar Khan told the court the former SHO accumulated millions of rupees by violating his authority. The Peshawar High Court (PHC) had earlier ordered an enquiry against the officer as many complaints of misuse of power had been received against him.
Plan is run under NEAP in consultation with provincial govts
Peshawar: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department Friday clarifying the news of handing over of the polio eradication campaign to the Army, said that in the meeting held at GHQ, no such decision of handing over of the polio eradication campaign to army was made.
Technical Focal Person Chief Minister’s Monitoring Cell Chief Minister Secretariat Peshawar Dr Imtiaz Ali Shah said the press has misquoted the press release of ISPR.
He said polio eradication has been declared a national emergency. The programme is being run under National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) for Polio Eradication developed in consultation with all Provincial Governments.
Shortage of doctors affects health services in Mansehra
MANSEHRA: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has left the people of Mansehra at the mercy of private clinics and doctors as half of the sanctioned posts of doctors and specialists are lying vacant in the district for the last many years.
“Though we are trying to provide better health services to people, the district health department is not authorised to fill the vacant posts or appoint doctors,” said Dr Naeem Awan, the acting district health officer, Mansehra, when contracted on Saturday.
People panic as drones fly over Hangu
HANGU: The low flight of the US drones created panic among the residents of Hangu district in southern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.
The spy planes were seen flying in the area of Doaba and Thall tehsil of the district early in the day.
It was the first flight of drone in the Hangu district after a break that was apparently due to the peace talks that led to the ceasefire between the Taliban and government negotiations teams.
The CIA-operated spy planes had carried out an attack in Thall tehsil of Hangu district in November 2013 and hit amadrassa leaving nine people dead. Those killed were mostly Afghan refugees.
One of those killed in the drone strike was Maulvi Ahmad Jan of the Haqqani network.
Attack on Hamid Mir condemned
PESHAWAR: The journalists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday condemned the attack on Hamid Mir and announced to stage protest today. The Khyber Union of Journalists and Peshawar Press Club would hold demonstration today to condemn the incident. The Crimes and Terrorism Journalists Forum (CTJF) has also condemned the attack. Through a statement, CTJF president Javed Aziz Khan and condemned the attack on Hamid Mir and asked the government to unearth the attackers involved in the incident. The CTJF also demanded the government to provide security to the journalists as well as media houses.
Meanwhile, the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) also condemned the firing attack on senior anchorperson of Geo News Hamid Mir in Karachi. In a joint statement, QWP head Aftab Sherpao and party’s parliamentary leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Sikandar Sherpao expressed deep sorrow over the cowardly attack on Hamid Mir. They prayed for the speedy recovery of the senior newsman and extended sympathy to his family.
KP governor to cut Fata House cost by Rs200m
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s new Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan has said he was planning to reduce by at least Rs200 million the cost of the Fata House in Islamabad by making changes in its design and facilities.
Talking to The News, he said he had asked the concerned officials to reconsider the plan for the Fata House to keep the project small and reduce the construction costs. “We need to scale down the project as the money should be spent on the people of the tribal areas instead of grand buildings,” he argued.
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