News in brief: Sindh
Traders oppose FPCCI move
The shifting of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) head office to Islamabad is an injustice to Karachi, claimed Hyderabad Chamber of Small Trade and Industry president Doulat Ram Luhano on Saturday. Lamenting the decision, Luhano stated that the traders in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawabshah, Larkana and Mirpurkhas divisions had not been taken into confidence regarding the shift. He feared that this would end up dividing the business community and requested FPCCI office-bearers to reevaluate the decision while keeping in mind the ground realities in order to ensure cohesion among the business community.
Thar students excel in SBTE exams
Students from Tharparkar have secured nine of the top 10 positions in the exams conducted by the Sindh Board of Technical Education (SBTE). The students had been enrolled in the three-year Thar Associate Engineering Programme, sponsored by Engro Powergen Thar Limited. "Thari students have proved that the land has great potential in its hard-working youth," stated EPTL CEO Syed Manzoor Zaidi. The objective of the programme is to prepare candidates for technical employment opportunities at Thar Engro Coal Power Project and other future projects.
Man electrocuted to death
A man electrocuted to death at his home near Kotri on Saturday. According to rescue workers, the victim, Mukhtiar Ali, had fallen unconscious after being shocked. He was rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The body was handed over to the family after the completion of medico-legal formalities.
Snakebites claim seven lives
Seven people were killed in separate incidents of being bitten by snakes in different parts of Sujawal district on Saturday. A farmer, identified as Imam Bux Khaskheli, was working at a field when he was bitten by a snake, resulting in his death. Meanwhile, three people, including two women, died after being bitten by snakes in Jati. They were identified as Mehtab, Zareena Mallah and Hussain. Moreover, two men, Asghar and Raheem Dino, also succumbed to snake venom after being bitten by the reptiles in Shah Bandar. Separately, another man, Ali Nawaz Otho, was killed in a similar incident. Incidents of snakebites often rise in the summer and monsoon season.
Police foil drug smuggling bids
A bid to smuggle huge quantities of charas from Sukkur to Karachi was thwarted and three alleged drug traffickers arrested by the Sindh police's Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) on Saturday. According to CIA incharge Mubeen Parhiar, the police received a tip-off and intercepted a car, confiscating 22 kilogrammes of charas. The drugs, worth around Rs500 million, were reportedly tied to the bodies of the three suspects travelling in the car. Meanwhile, two other suspects were arrested and 90 bags of nuts used to produce gutka, worth Rs5 million, were confiscated from them during a raid near Zero Point Muhammad Town. Parhiar revealed the two men were arrested when a police contingent stopped and searched a pickup truck heading from Sukkur to Hyderabad.
Two 'drug peddlers' arrested
Two alleged drug peddlers were arrested and 15,000 packets of gutka recovered from their possession by the Tharparkar police on Saturday. On the directives of Tharparkar SSP Hassan Sardar Khan, Vijoto SHO Ameen Junejo carried out a raid and arrested Rustam Chandio and Faheem Junejo. The police recovered large quantities of gutka from hidden cavities in a car and impounded the vehicle. A case has been registered against the accused under the Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997.