SIALKOT - As many as 12 persons including women and children were mauled by a pack of jackals in far-off border villages Phalora, Sikandarpur and Nawaan Pind along the Sialkot Working Boundary here.
According to locals, a pack of about nine jackals attacked residents in the border villages and mauled 12 persons identified as Khalid, Nasir, Iqbal, Sughra Bibi, Sakeena Bibi, Allah Rakhi, Zeeshan, Usama, Arsalan and Naveed. Later, the pack of jackals disappeared in local jungle along the Sialkot Working Boundary. However, it was yet to be confirmed whether or not the pack of jackals had come from across the border.
The injured were admitted to a local hospital, where condition of two of them is stated to be critical.
STABBED TO DEATH
Local youth Muhammad Matlub (22) was killed allegedly by two accused Asif and Bilal with repeated attacks of sharp-edged knives, over an old money dispute in village Rehan Cheema, Sambrial tehsil here. Police shifted the dead body to local hospital for autopsy after registration of a murder case against accused with no arrest, in this regard.
Closed for years, school turned
into cattle den
The local people have turned into a cattle den the unattended building of Govt Primary School Laliyaal in Kingra Markaz, Pasrur tehsil.
They tie their cattle and store fodder in the school building. The officials of the Sialkot Education Department had closed down the school about a decade ago after remaining failed in providing the facilities for students. This was the only school catering for the educational needs of hundreds of surrounding villages in the area.
Instead of opening the school by ensuring the provision of all the basic facilities, the high-ups of Education Department finally closed it, due to which the local people found the proper use of the abandoned school building and started using it as cattle shed. Now, the local students are forced to go to far-flung areas for getting primary education after travelling long in the private schools. The government had established the school in 1925 for providing primary education to hundreds of students of dozens of surrounding villages.
The officials of Education Department said that the school was closed down due to the deceasing number of students as the people were not sending their children to the school followed by the prolonged non-availability of the basic missing facilities. Almost all the doors, windows, furniture and water pump had already been stolen from the school.
Later, the school buildings was also declared dangerous by the education and buildings department, as it had never been repaired by anyone since its establishment in 1925.
On the other hand, some people have expressed grave concern over the critical situation. They said that the direly needed proper attention of the officials of Sialkot education department could be helpful in re-starting the school.
The people urged Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Commissioner Gujranwala Division Asad Ullah Faiz and Deputy Commissioner Tahir Wattu to look into the matter in the larger public interest.
RANGERS FREE MEDICAL CAMP
The Punjab Rangers organised a free medical camp at far-off border village Charwah along Sialkot Working Boundary here.
At the medical camp, the doctors examined as many as 300 patients from Sialkot border villages and provided them free medication.
The local people highly hailed the Punjab Rangers’ efforts for providing free medical health facilities to them as well.
DOCS, PARAMEDICS URGED
TO SERVE PEOPLE
Punjab Minister for Special Education Ch Ikhlaq has urged doctors and paramedics to utilise their full energy and capabilities for providing better health facilities at local level.
Addressing the participants of the oath-taking ceremony of the local paramedics held at Kh Muhammad Safdar Medical College Sialkot here, the provincial minister said that doctors and paramedics were performing the sacred duties and earning Hassannaats by serving the ailing humanity. He said that their problems would be resolved amicably.
Earlier, he visited Govt Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital Sialkot here today. He checked the attendance of the doctors and paramedics besides checking the record of the medicines being provided to the local patients.
On the occasion, the Provincial Minister pledged to make all out sincere efforts for the early release of the needed funds by the Punjab government for the upgradation of this hospital.