Day: February 2, 2011

MARDAN: Two suspected militants attacked with grenades a gathering of students of the Lundkhawar Girls Degree College here on Tuesday, injuring 35 girls.

Ms Dilshad, the principal of the college, told journalists that Third Year students had arranged a farewell party for their seniors and they were taking photographs when they came under the terrorist attack. The inured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital and Mardan Medical Complex and their condition was stated to be stable.

DHQ’s Medical Superintendent Dr Mohammad Tahir told this reporter that 19 of the girls were admitted to his hospital and 16 to the MMC. One student, with serious injuries, was shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.

District Police Officer Zeeshan Haider told Dawn that two men who were on motorcycles hurled two grenades on the students after firing on the watchman who had tried to stop them. The watchman was injured.–Jamal Hoti

Source: Dawn

Date:3/2/2011

By Malik Aslam

CHINIOT: A woman kidnapped from Karachi one and a half years ago was found in the Bhowana tehsil after she managed to escape her kidnappers.

Arifa bibi* (45) told police officials that she had been kidnapped nearly two years ago and sold repeatedly for the past year. Arifa said that she had been sold and passed off from one man to another and had been raped repeatedly over the year.

Arifa, who is the wife of Zain, said that one of her husband’s friends Saad used to visit the couple regularly. “One day he came to our house in my husband’s absence and brought some sweets. I ate the sweets and fainted and he abducted me,” she told police officials.

Arifa told the police that she was brought from Karachi to Chiniot, where she was forced to change her name to Shazia Zahir. “Saad made me sign a nikah nama and forced me to change my name. He kept me for two months and then sold me for Rs40,000 to his brother,” she said.

Arifa said that two months after Saad had abducted her she had been sold to his brother Zahoor and that he also made her sign a marriage certificate. “He made me work around the house and tied me up in chains for three months. He would assault me every night,” Arifa told police officials, adding that three months later Zahoor sold her to his nephew Ahmed.

Arifa said that Zahoor’s nephew Ahmed was barely twenty years old and abused her for two months. “He used to burn my body with hot iron and beat me but there was no one around for miles so I couldn’t scream for help,” Arifa said. Arifa told police officials that she had tried to escape several times but she had been locked up and closely monitored by her captors. “They kept moving me from one place to another. Every few months I was sold off to someone new and eventually I even began to forget where I was,” she said, adding that Ahmed had sold her two months later to two men for a price of Rs80,000. “I was trying to find a way out but both brothers had me under lock and key for several months,” Arifa said, adding that on Monday, she found a chance to escape. Arifa said that she managed to escape from the window at nearly 5:30 am and ran for help. “I stopped at the first house I could find and implored for help,” she said. “We found her begging for help outside the door and when I heard the story I told the police,” said Bhuwana Chowk 230 resident Mazhar Jappa, adding that he and his wife took Arifa in and waited with her until the police recovered her. Bhuwana Police has filed cases against Saad, Ahmed, Zahoor and two other men. Police officials have already captured Ahmed and are investigating the incident. “The woman is currently in our custody and we are pursuing the matter,” said station house officer Chaudhary Muhammad Malik Gujjar. “We are trying to locate her husband but he has changed his address and is no longer in the same village,” the SHO said.

Source: The Express Tribune

Date:2/2/2011

KARACHI: National Hero Foundation (NHF) has announced to commence first ever “Wonder Women of the Year Award”, to be held on March 8, 2011 in Karachi.

Addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Monday night, Shaikh Rashid Alam, founder and president of NHF said this foundation was established with the vision to introduce people to our national heroes and their contributions for this homeland.

He said that NHF has been given permission to revive the spirit of heroism, commemorate the role of our national heroes and work for their social welfare as a non-profit public company licensed under section 42 of companies ordinance 1984 by Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.

“Some basic objectives of NHF are to restore the lost identity of our national heroes by reviving the spirit of heroism and to make people aware of our national heroes, educate our youth about the difference between a hero and a celebrity, commemorate the priceless contribution of our national heroes. In addition to establish National Hero Park to preserve the golden history of our heroes and to organise benefit and welfare activities for the wellbeing of our national heroes & their families,” he informed. The motive behind the establishment of National Hero Foundation is to provide a platform to acknowledge and honour all our national heroes and to highlight their contributions, he added.

Giving the detail of Wonder Women of the Year Awards, Shehla Javed Akram, President Women Chamber of Commerce said that NHF has organised this award in association with the Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan to recognise the valuable services of Pakistani women by giving them the honour they truly deserve and to present them as the role model and a national hero for the generations to come. “Wonder Women Awards” will be given to the women excelling in sectors like business, bureaucracy, sports, culture, media, arts, social welfare, judiciary, education and politics, she informed.

“Nominations can be submitted by February 25, 2011, after that members of the governing body and expert Judges Panel will supervise this entire process and finalise the scrutiny. Number of total awards will be decided keeping in view the nominations and not more than 2 awards will be given in each category,” she added. Furthermore, some 70 percent of the awards have been allocated for alive people, while 30 percent awards will be given to the people who are not with us today. Finally a graceful award ceremony along with an exclusive symposium titled “Inspirational Women Convention” will be organised on 8th March 2011 on the occasion of the International Women’s Day.

Source: Business Recorder

Date:2/2/2011

PESHAWAR: In yet another attack on educational institutions, two girls schools in the suburbs of the provincial metropolis were damaged in two bomb explosions on Tuesday, police sources said.

The sources said explosive devices had been planted at the two government-run schools in the jurisdiction of the Matani Police Station. In one incident in Adezai, the blast caused damage to a room of the Government Girls Primary School.

In the other incident, the girls school in Maryamzai was bombed, causing partial damage to the structure. According to the bomb disposal unit, the explosions were of minor intensity. Meanwhile, some private schools in the Cantonment remained closed on Tuesday in the wake of the two deadly explosions on Monday that left seven people, mostly policemen, dead and 14 others injured.

According to the school administrations, the students had been informed at home that the schools would remain closed on Tuesday for security reasons. Notices had also been pasted outside the buildings of the private institutions. The schools would reopen today (Wednesday).

Source: The News

Date:2/2/2011