RAWALPINDI: Four persons were killed and over 60 others were injured when Gakhar Plaza, one of the largest shopping centres of Rawalpindi, was reduced

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Karachi Two people were killed in separate incidents on Saturday, while three bandits were arrested by the Pakistan Rangers.Forty-year

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RAWALPINDI: Chairman Disaster Management Cell General Farooq said that five persons were killed, 50 others injured and 11 were missing due to collapse of fire gutted Ghakhar plaza here on Saturday evening. The bodies of four victims were recovered from the debris and all injured have been shifted to hospital. He said, the investigation to ascertain the actual cause of fire eruption have been started. The injured were rushed to Cantonment, District Headquarter (DHQ) and Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH). He added that all markets and shopping plazas in Saddar had also been closed while WAPDA suspended power supply to avoid any untoward incident and telephone lines in the area were also disturbed for hours. The police cordoned off the whole area for protection of public. The six-storied Gakhar Plaza had more than 450 shops and almost 400 stalls and kiosks and was the biggest center of garments, shoes, leather garments and goods. The upper stories of the building have a big store of CDs, godowns of garments besides a hotel. All shops were turned into ashes. Soon after the collapse of the plaza, officers and Jawans of Pakistan Army, led by Station Commander Brig Sajjad Azam, reached at the site along with heavy machinery and started rescue work. The citizens also joined hands with army jawans to help remove the wreckage.

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ISLAMABAD: Nepal’’s Ambassador to Pakistan Bala B Kunwar told a news conference here in Islamabad that reports, about the arrest or kidnapping of Kasab in his country, were “baseless and concocted”. Kunwar said an inquiry had established that Iman had never lived or was arrested in Nepal before 2006. “Nepal as a sovereign and responsible state, has always adhered to its stated policy of not allowing its territory to be used against the interest of other countries,” he said. Kunwar said the news reports about Iman’’s arrest were “aimed at denting Nepal-Pakistan relations”. He added he was confident that such charges would have no impact on the friendly ties between the two countries. A Pakistani lawyer named C M Farooque had claimed this week that Kasab was arrested two years ago in Kathmandu by “Indian agencies” with the help of Nepali authorities. He claimed Kasab was on a “business visit” when he was arrested.

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Hockey star Rehan Butt has been named the Best Player of Asia for the year 2008 by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) at its congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday.Secretary Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Asif Bajwa received the award on behalf of Rehan Butt.The AHF also awarded the Life Time Achievement award to late Brig. (R) Manzoor Hussain Atif on his valuable services for hockey.President PHF Qasim Zia and Secretary Asif Bajwa attended AHF Congress and Council meeting.

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RAWALPINDI: A large section of Gakhar Plaza has been collapsed and 31 people are missing in the incident.Meanwhile, rescue operation continues and the work of removing debris has been further increased. Heavy search lights have been installed on the spot.According to Civil Defence sources, 31 people including rescue workers are missing whereas district nazim Javed Ikhlas said that the number of persons trapped under the debris may be 15-20.The district nazim while talking with Geo News said that the rescue operation could be prolonged.He said that measures on modern lines are needed for rescue operation.A dead body and 14 wounded were shifted to DHQ Hospital while one seriously injured was sent to PIMS Hospital.It may be recalled that a garments shop in the Gakhar Plaza, the busiest shopping centre here in Saddar, caught fire during the night between Friday and Saturday and it soon took over the entire building.According to rescue sources, fire in eastern part of the plaza was brought under control on Saturday morning but the fire that broke out several hours ago severely damaged the building that has suddenly been collapsed in the afternoon. However, the fire could not be controlled as more than 12 hours have been passed.The ISPR told that the army teams have reached the spot for participating in rescue operations.The president and the prime minister, expressing deep concern, have directed the army and the rescue agencies to provide immediate relief.PML (N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has also expressed sorrow over the incident.Two people have been killed and several sustained injuries in the incident.It is being feared that another part of the building may be collapsed at any time.

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RAWALPINDI: A large section of Gakhar Plaza has collapsed on Saturday killing four people who were caught in the building and severely injuring four others while 31 people are missing in the incident.Meanwhile, rescue operation continues and the work of removing debris has been further increased. Heavy searchlights have been installed on the spot due to lack of electricity in the area.According to Civil Defence sources, 31 people including rescue workers are missing whereas district nazim Javed Ikhlas said that a number of persons still trapped under the debris may be 15-20.President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, taking the strict notice of the incident, have ordered the authorities responsible for the detailed report on the incident.The district nazim while talking to the Geo News said that the rescue operation could be prolonged and added that that measures on modern lines are needed for rescue operation.Four dead bodies and 14 wounded were shifted to DHQ Hospital while one seriously injured was sent to PIMS Hospital.It may be recalled that a garments shop in the Gakhar Plaza, the busiest shopping centre here in Saddar, caught fire during the night between Friday and Saturday and it soon engulfed the entire building. Three security guards in a bid to save their lives jumped from the third floor of the building and got themselves injured who were later shifted to Rawalpindi District Hospital.According to rescue sources, fire in eastern part of the plaza was brought under control on Saturday morning but the fire that broke out several hours ago severely damaged the building that has suddenly been collapsed in the afternoon. However, the fire could not be controlled while more than 14 hours have been passed.The ISPR told that the army teams have reached the spot for participating in rescue operations.The president and the prime minister, expressing deep concern, have directed the army and the rescue agencies to provide immediate relief.PML (N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has also expressed sorrow over the incident.Four people have been killed and several sustained injuries in the incident. It is being feared that another part of the building may be collapsed at any time.

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LAHORE: A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court to stop political appointments in the higher judiciary and change its procedure.The stance adopted in the petition, filed by the Pakistan Lawyers Forum, is that the government appoints its favourite judges in higher judiciary and then uses them for their personal interest.The government appointed its faovurite people as judges also in the past and the present government wants to repeat the same practice. Thus, the court is requested to take its notice and make amendments in the procedure of hiring the judges.

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RAWALPINDI: A part of fire hit Ghakhar plaza in Rawalpindi has been collapsed.

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RAWALPINDI: Ghakhar Plaza, the busiest shopping centre in Saddar here collapsed after the fire broke out in the building.As per reports, several persons including rescue workers still trapped under the debris as rescue efforts are underway at the incident site.The president and the prime minister, expressing deep concern, have directed the army and the rescue agencies to provide immediate relief.PML (N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has also expressed sorrow over the incident.According to rescue sources, fire in eastern part of the plaza was brought under control on Saturday morning but the fire that broke out several hours ago severely damaged the building that has been collapsed in the afternoon. Two people have been killed and several sustained injuries in the incident.The ISPR told that the army teams have reached the spot for participating in rescue operations.It is being feared that the another part of the building may be collapsed at any time.

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