MULTAN - An Accountability Court here on Friday convicted two bank officers sentencing them to jail term along with fine worth Rs 19 million on charges of misappropriating bank funds. NAB Multan spokesman said that accused Farooq Raza, the officer G-1 of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Jahanian branch, was awarded five-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine worth Rs 15 million was imposed. Another accused, a grade-III officer (Operator) Tariq Mahmood was sentenced to four-year rigorous imprisonment and Rs 4 million fine was imposed on him. The accused had embezzled millions of rupees by way of debiting Bank General Account and Bank Charges Account and credited the amount to their personal accounts.
Cold, dry weather forecast
The local Met office has forecast cold and dry weather with chances of mist in the morning for city and its suburbs during the next 24 hours. On Friday, maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded as 21. 2 degree centigrade and 4.5 degree centigrade respectively. The humidity was recorded 84 percent at 8 a.m and 38 percent at 5 p.m. The sun will rise at 07:03 a.m and set at 17:19 p.m tomorrow.
Sarafa Bazaar to get facelift
The renovation/conservation of traditional and old Multan’s jewelry market or Sarafa Bazaar would begin soon inside the old walled city under Walled City Project at a cost of around Rs33m.
The funding for the project was provided under the Pak-Italian Sustainable Debt for Development Swap Agreement (PISDA) and the project was expected to complete in four-month period from the date of its execution, a Walled City Project official said. He said that the project had been awarded to a contractor, however, work order expected to be issued sometime next week.
Another official said that buildings on both sides of Sarafa Bazaar up to a length of eighty (80) meters from Musafir Khana onwards would be renovated while the older buildings would be conserved. He said that the façade of buildings on both sides of Sarafa Bazaar would be renovated. There were three old buildings which would undergo conservation under supervision of experts.
He said that outers of the split unit air-conditioners would be shifted from walls to the roofs, urban sheds to be installed to save citizens from sunlight, the steps from road to shops to be dismantled and replaced by moving steps so that these could be rolled up when the shops were closed to provide more space to pedestrians and bike riders. A tuff tile or concrete tile floor would be laid up to a length of 80 meters, officials said. It may be noted that Musafir Khana and some part of Sarafa Bazaar besides centuries old Haram Gate had already undergone conservation under the Walled City Project.
Addl IG for special focus on ethical training of police officials
Additional Inspector General of Police South Punjab Capt (retd) Zaffar Iqbal Awan said that special focus was being paid on improvement of police training institutes and ethical training of police officials.
During his visit of Punjab Constabulary here on Friday, Additional IG South Punjab said that police force was fighting with crime and coronavirus and ensuring all measures to protect lives and properties of the masses. He said that Jawans of police constabulary fully prepared to deal any emergency like situation.
He said that standard of police training institutes and ethical training of police officials was being improved in order to restore public trust on the department.
Capt (retd) Zaffar Iqbal Awan maintained that revolutionary steps were being taken in the police department to improve performance. The additional Inspector General visited firing range and other departments of the Punjab constabulary and also inaugurated tree plantation campaign by planting a tree at the office.
Commander constabulary Muhammad Saleem Niazi, DSP Atiya Jaffari, PSO Rizwan Khan and other concerned officers were also present on the occasion.