Nowshera in Media...
Go home or else: IDPs in Jalozai set to lose transport facility
The deadline was fixed in a high level meeting of the Return Task Force (RTF) on May 16, 2011 in Peshawar, with the RTF deciding to vacate Jalozai Camp and shift all the IDPs to their hometowns.
After the deadline passes, the K-P government has ordered a halt to free transport facilities for the remaining displaced person and asked the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to meet with the RTF to chalk out future plans for the remaining IDPs, sources said. “We are convening an RTF meeting very soon and no extension is under consideration for the remaining IDPs” a high level official said on condition of anonymity. He added that all the displaced people belonging to safe areas would go back and no one will be allowed to remain in the camp.
Last month, IDPs in Bajaur and Mohmand Agency refused to go back but relented when the K-P government set June 7 as the final deadline for their return. More than 12,000 IDP families are living in Jalozai Camp and 9,641 went back, but 2,359 are still remaining in the camp, PDMA Spokesman Adnan Khan told The Express Tribune. He added that more than eight thousand families from Khyber Agency and unsafe areas of Bajaur are still living in Jalozai Camp.
The remaining 2,359 families have refused to go back and demanded that the government first pay them house compensation, because most of these people have no homes left standing in their villages. “We have no home in our villages because security forces demolished our house during the operation, so how we can go back?” asked Siraj Khan of Bajaur Agency, who has lived in Jalozai camp for the last two years. “If the government pay’s us compensation to rebuild our houses, only then we will be able to go back,” Siraj explained.
According to the PDMA report, a total of 9,521 houses were partially or completely damaged in different parts of the Bajaur and Mohmand agencies from August 2008 to date; 8,455 houses in Bajaur Agency and 1,066 houses in Mohmand Agency.
“We will compensate all 9,521 homeowners and payments of Rs400,000 to those whose houses have completely been destroyed and Rs160,000 for those with partially damaged houses has been decided,” Adnan Khan said.
Adnan Khan said that most areas of Bajaur and Mohmand agencies have been declared safe and have been cleared of militants, but with the government’s plan to start reconstruction and rehabilitation in these areas cannot start without the return of these people. “We assured all IDPs than they will receive house compensation if their house was partially or fully damaged,” Adnan Khan assured.
He said that some areas of Bajaur and Mohamand Agency have not been cleared thus far and military operations are underway in Kamangara and Chamarkand tehsils in Bajaur Agency and Safi and Baizai tehsils in Mohmand Agency, adding that IDPs from these areas will be allowed to remain in the camps, Adnan added. (Source: Daily The Express Tribune)
Probe into Nowshera suicide bombing launched
NOWSHERA, June 7: The security forces launched investigation into
the deadly suicide blast at a bakery on The Mall Road here that left
17 people dead and 46 others wounded, official sources said Monday.
The sources said that officials of the intelligence agencies visited
the spot and the entire area remained cordoned off during the day.
Media personnel were not allowed to visit the site. They said that a
10-member team of the Bomb Disposal Unit led by Assistant Inspector
General of Police Shafqat Malik visited the site of the occurrence
and collected pieces of evidence.
Fifteen of those killed were identified while two bodies could not
be recognised. Nine of the injured were discharged from hospital
while the rest remained hospitalised at the Combined Military
Hospital in Nowshera and the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.
Twelve of the injured were listed to be in critical condition.
On Sunday, a teenaged suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped
to his body at the army-run bakery on The Mall, killing 17 people
and wounding 46 others. The blast also destroyed 10 nearby shops and
damaged several other buildings and vehicles.
Despite being located in the high security zone, the bomber managed
to enter the bakery to carry out the suicide attack. There was great
rush of people including women and children who were enjoying the
barbecue when the explosion took place.
The dead included Havildar Sajjad Hussain, Subedar Mohammad Aslam,
Naveed, ASC Khadim Hussain, Sunya wife of Major Tahir Ibrar, his
daughter Khadija, son Mohammad Ali and niece Bushra. Sehrish Shahid,
Sumera Bibi, Kamran Khan, Sameen Zia, Wazir Mohammad, Kamal Abdul
Nazir and Zahoor Ahmed.
The injured included Abdul Haq, Shayan, Asadullah Kheshgi, Sitara
Bibi, Yasmeen, Qadir Ali, Siraj Mohammad, Sadaf, Qayyum, Farhana,
Deen Gul Afghani, Ayesha Tahir, Malik Jalal, Aaraf Bibi, Zahid Gul,
Hafiz Ikram Shah, Naeem Farooq, Zewar, Abdullah, Mir Taj, Altaf,
Zahoor, Major Ansar, Mohammad Jan, Khuda Bakhsh, Mohammad Sharif,
Adnan Sharif, Faiz Ali, Gohar, Bilal, Majeed, Allah Nawaz, Mohammad
Shad, Rahim and Nauman Sharif.
It was learnt that the close-circuit cameras installed at the bakery
were out of order because of which there was no footage of the
incident.
Meanwhile, Minister for Excise and Taxation Liaquat Shabab, who
belongs to Nowshera, condemned the suicide blast and said the
government would compensate the injured and the heirs of those
killed in the explosion.
Speaking at a press conference, he said the shopkeepers whose shops
were destroyed would also be compensated for their losses.
NOWSHERA: Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti on Monday said that
terrorists could not be called human beings or Muslims, as they
were weakening the country for achieving their evil objectives.
He made these remarks during his visit to the Combined Military
Hospital in Nowshera where he inquired after the health of the
people injured in the previous day’s bombing at an army-run
bakery.
The chief minister said the nefarious designs of terrorists
would be foiled through unity of the nation. He said the spirit
and moral of the government, security forces and people was
high.
Hoti took notice of the complaint about the lack of water in the
fire brigade vehicles on the day of the bomb explosion and
issued directives for inquiry after suspending the tehsil
municipal officer.
The chief minister said foolproof security at the public places
was impossible. He argued the government had never claimed that
terrorism had been eradicated. “It is our war as the nation has
paid a huge price for eradicating this menace from the society
and is still suffering,” he stressed.
Hoti said the soldiers, police personnel, common people and
political parties’ office-bearers had been targeted and martyred
and this was the reason that menace should be eradicated at any
cost for the sake of Pakistan.
“War is not the solution to problems, but unfortunately we are
facing an enemy who claim to be serving Islam by fighting
against ‘non-believers’ and is spilling the blood of innocent
people,” the chief minister said.
The chief minister said that doors were still open for people
who laid down arms and accepted the writ of the government. He
also condemned the US drone attacks and termed these as against
sovereignty of the country. He said that mere condemnation of
such acts would, however, not work. He stressed the need for the
implementation of unanimous resolution of the Parliament in this
regard.
Funeral of Nowshera victims act held
NOWSHERA, June 7: The collective funeral prayers for the security forces personnel and the family members of a military officer, killed in the Sunday suicide bombing inside a bakery in Nowshera Cantonment, were offered at the ASC Ground here Monday. The funeral for Subedar Muhammad Aslam, Havaldar Sajjad Hussain and Sepoy Naveed along with the son, daughter, niece and wife of Major Tahir Ibrar and a civilian cook, Khadim Hussain, was attended by a large number of military and civil officers. Later the bodies were dispatched to their native areas for a burial with state honours. The bodies of Major Tahir Ibrar’s family members were sent to their native village in Chakwal district.
Suicide attack on army-run bakery in Nowshera kills 18
NOWSHERA,
June 6: At least 18 people were killed and 45 others were injured
when a suicide bomber attacked an army-run bakery on the Mall Road
in Nowshera Cantonment on Sunday night.
The condition of 12 of the injured people was said to be serious.
According to a police official who refused to identify himself, those killed in the attack included the wife of an army major, his son and a daughter.
The blast caused a massive fire in the bakery and gas cylinders kept there also caught fire and started exploding. A number of adjacent buildings, a restaurant and some shops also caught fire.
Bodies of most of the victims were charred beyond recognition.
According to bomb disposal squad personnel, the bomber appeared to be teenager. His head had been found in the debris of the bakery.
They said that seven to eight kilograms of explosives had been used in the bombing which took place at around 8.45pm. Of the 18 people killed in the bombing and the resultant fire, only three bodies could be identified — Kamran, Sajjad Hussain and six-year-old girl Wafa.
Some of those injured in the blast included Mohammad Sharif, Arshad, Imran, Captain Hasnat, Mohammad Irshad, Adnan Sharif, Zaman Sharif, Luqman Sharif, Faizan Ali Shah, Amjad, Ibrahim, Umar Quresh, Minhajullah Malik, Bilal, Ibrahim , Asadullah, Abdullah, Shahan and Mohammad Imran.
According to witnesses, the fire gutted the bakery, a restaurant and some cosmetic shops because the fire brigade engines reached there quite late.
Officials said that most of the injured had been taken to the Combined Military Hospital where nobody was allowed, causing confusion among people who wanted information about the people killed and injured.
“I was in the bakery doing my work when I heard a big blast and soon a huge fire engulfed the place,” said bakery employee Imran Khan.
District Police Officer Quraish Khan earlier said that seven people had been killed and several others injured.
A fire-fighter told this correspondent that he had seen two bodies inside the building after extinguishing the fire.
AGENCIES ADD: “We have confirmed 18 dead,” Turk Ali Shah, a police spokesman in Nowshera, said. He said 35 people were wounded.
Zakaullah Khan, the city’s top government official, said the
death toll could rise as many wounded were in critical condition.
The attack was claimed by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.
“It was a remote control bomb which was planted by our men,” Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said in a phone call from an undisclosed location.
(Source: Daily Dawn)Suicide blast in Nowshehra kills 17, hurts scores
NOWSHEHRA,
June 6: Death toll from the suicide blast in a bakery in Cantonment
area here climbed to 17 while scores others injured, Geo News
reported on Monday. Those killed included wife and two children of a
high ranked security official, sources said.
Fire tenders, ambulances and other emergency services reached the
blast site and kick started rescue efforts. Rescue teams of Pak army
were also taking part in the effort. The injured and dead were
shifted to a hospital, which put the death toll at 16 and the number
of injured at 41.
Gas cylinders in the bakery also blew up due to the blast,
triggering huge fire that engulfed the whole bakery, police sources
said. The bakery was crowded with shoppers at the time of the blast,
it was learned.
Bomb disposal squad reached the site of the incident and collected
evidence. The squad reached the conclusion that the blast was
suicidal in nature. The severed head of the attacker, aged about
17-18 years, and other evidence were gathered from the devastated
bakery. The bomb disposal squad pointed out that explosives
measuring 8 kilogram were used in the blast.
(Source: Daily The NEWS, Islamabad)
At least five people were killed in an explosion inside a bakery on GT road in Nowshera city on Sunday.
NOWSHERA, June 5: According to Express 24/7 reporter, Iftikhar Firdous, police officials present on the scene could not confirm the nature of the explosion. According to initial reports, five people have died in the attack while over 20 were injured. It is feared that others may be stuck in the rubble. The bakery is located in a crowded bazaar very near to the CMH. The bazaar was crowded at the time of the explosion, as people were shopping for the week ahead. Rescue operations were underway with fire fighters on the scene trying to contain the fire so as to avoid another explosion.
Police and army personnel present in the area had cordoned off the site.
Local ANP leader laid to rest
By
our correspondent
NOWSHERA, June 5: Haji Mukarram Khan, president Awami National Party for
Azakhel Bala village, was laid to rest on Saturday in his ancestral
graveyard. He died on Friday after protracted illness. His Qul will
be held today at the hujra of Sher Ali Khan in Azakhel Bala.
99 POs held in Nowshera in May
NOWSHERA , June 5: Police claimed to have arrested 367 persons including 99 proclaimed offenders and recovered huge quantity of arms and ammunition in May. Officials said that 99 among the arrested were wanted to the police in murder, attempted murder and kidnapping cases. The official said the police recovered 37 Kalashnikov rifles, 23 Kalakovs, 61 rifles, 252 pistols and 7,650 cartridges from the detained persons. The police also seized 326kg hashish and 506 bottles of liquor during a crackdown against the drug traffickers.
3 killed over domestic dispute
Peshawar, June 4: Three persons were killed and two passerby sustained injuries due to domestic dispute in the limits of Pabbi police station in Nowshera district on Friday, police said. The incident took place at village, Badbair when accused Zahid, Rahid and Shahid sons of Haji Rashid allegedly started firing at the car of Hashim who was going along with his wife. As result, Hasim Khan, Zahid and another unidentified person were killed instantly while Raheela along with two passerbies Shahid and Liaquat wounded critically. Police have registered case and started investigation. Accused Shahid and Ismail Khan has been arrested.—APP
Employees protest Wapda privatisation plan
PESHAWAR, June 3: The employees of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) went on strike and staged protest demonstrations in different districts of the province on Thursday against the proposed privatisation of Water and Power Development Authority. In the provincial capital, Wapda Hydro Electric Central Union observed a sit-in outside Pesco head office at Shami Road and held a protest demonstration on the main road.
Carrying a banner inscribed with their demands, the protesting workers also chanted slogans against the proposed privatisation of Wapda and termed it a conspiracy. Speaking on the occasion, union chainman Haji Mohammad Iqbal and general secretary Gohar Taj expressed grave concern over the soaring prices of daily use commodities. They said that government had failed to control price hike in the country.
They said that workers would not allow government to privatise Wapda as it was totally against the interests of the employees. They also expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation and said that people were kidnapped for ransom. They said that Tesco employees had also been kidnapped in a tribal region. They asked government to stop privatisation of national institutions and take effective steps for overcoming corruption to strengthen economy of the country. “We will continue our protest demonstrations unless our demands are met,” they warned.
In Nowshera, the Pesco employees held two different protest meetings in Nowshera Kalan and Pabbi areas and locked all their offices. Wearing black armbands, the protesters chanted slogan against the government and its anti-labour policies. They criticised the government`s privatisation policy. They threatened to launch agitation if government went ahead with the privatisation of Wapda.
In Bannu, the Wapda Hydro Electric Central Labor Union organised a protest demonstration against the proposed privatisation of Wapda. Carrying placards and chanting slogans against government, the protesting employees marched on various roads of the city.
They said that privatisation of Wapda would deprive thousands of employees of their jobs and burden the power consumers in the country. They said that they would seek support of public in their protest movement if government tried to `sell` the national entity. In Mansehra, Pesco employees observed complete strike and took out a rally against the proposed privatisation of Wapda.
The protest rally was culminated at the press club after passing through different roads of the city. Addressing the protesters, Mohammad Arif and Khalid Rasheed said that they would not allow the government to privatise the national asset. They said that Wapda was earning profit for the country but government wanted to sell it on a throwaway price, which was not acceptable to them.
IDPs stage demo at Jalozai camp
From Sharifuddin
NOWSHERA, June 2: Internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Khyber Agency currently residing at Jalozai makeshift camp in Nowshera district staged a hunger strike to express their resentment on Tuesday. IDPs claimed that World Food Organization (WFO) has deprived IDPs of food package for two months. Moreover, a significant number of IDPs could not be registered at Jalozai makeshift camp, said representatives of IDPs. They added that unregistered IDPs are waiting for registration for the last two years. Currently they are not eligible to avail aid packages by the government. Talking to newsmen IDPs representatives has said that they are still waiting to receive food package for two months. Children, Women and aged people at IDPs makeshift camp are in dire need of food articles, medicines and clothes. Moreover, IDPs has also expressed fear of sending back home by force. Representatives of IDPs have urged the authorities to ensure the availability of food packages, medicines, clothes and not compel them to return homes until peace is totally restored in the affected areas.
Record development despite inherited shortcomings: Iftikhar
PESHAWAR, June 2: Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information and Culture, Mian Iftikhar
Hussain Sunday urged ANP leaders to remain in constant contact with
their respective area people and keep vigilance on quality of work
in development projects so that perception regarding lack of
contacts with masses could be removed and quick and quality work is
ensured for uplift of the electorates.
Talking to ANP delegation from Nowshera, led by District President,
Syed Ehrar Khattak, GS, Zar Ali Khan and other representative, the
minister said that record number of development activities were
underway despite the inherited poor law and order situation and
destruction by last year’s flood.
He said ANP, under the guidance of Asfandyar Wali Khan numerous
success have been achieved including provincial autonomy under 18th
Amendment, new name for the province according to the aspirations of
its people, net hydle profit and consensus NFC Award.
Talking about power shortage in the province, the minister said: “we
have been given the authority to build new dams in our province
under 18th Amendment and work on seven different power generation
projects would have been started had we not faced destruction at the
hands of destructive floods. These floods shattered all our dreams
and even we have to shift our ADP funds to flood relief fund.”
However, he said situation was much batter now and Chief Minister,
Ameer Haider Hoti would soon inaugurate three dams for power
generating purposes. “All the money we get through net hydle profit
would be spent on power generation projects,” he said and hoped
after completion of these projects the issue of power outages and
low voltage would be addressed to a great extent.
The minister informed that work on Bacha Khan Model School at Pabbi
was in full swing while approval for AWKU campus has also been given
for the area for which the site has been allocated. Likewise, he
said soon an international standard football stadium would be
constructed at Pabbi.—APP
Stand up against US hegemony: JUI-S
NOWSHERA, June 1: Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) chief Maulana Samiul Haq on Sunday urged
religious scholars and youth to stand up against the US hegemony to
protect the country’s sovereignty. “In the prevailing circumstances,
there is a heavy responsibility on clerics and young people to join
hands to rid the country of the US slavery,” he said while talking
to a delegation of clerics from Azad Kashmir.
He said the religious scholars and seminaries were the real targets
of the US and not the country’s nuclear assets. “Now the clerics
have to fight for the cause of the nation,” he stressed. Samiul Haq
said the rulers had ignored the national interest. He lamented the
government could not implement the resolution passed by parliament
after the Abbottabad operation.