RAWALPINDI: Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Mian Shehbaz Sharif said that due to effective strategy adopted by Punjab government as well city district government Allah Almighty had saved Rawalpindi from the devastation of Nullah Leh flooding.

The chief minister visited flood hit Gawalmandi areas here and reviewed the situation. He spent some moments on Gawalmandi Bridge and left for Islamabad without talking to media. He announced reconstruction of Dhoke Hassu Bridge which was damaged by flash flood.

Punjab Chief Minister of Mian Shahbaz Sharif also announced Rs 300,000 for four persons who were killed due to flash flooding while the injured would be paid Rs 100,000 as compensation.

On the occasion, PML-N city leadership briefed Mian Shahbaz Sharif about the situation caused by Nullah Leh flood. On this he expressed his satisfaction over the arrangements made by city district government to tackle the flood.

He said that in case of heavy rain, the people residing along with banks of Nullahs should be shifted to some safer places.

Upon his arrival tight security arrangements were made by blocking all the roads leading towards Gawalmandi.

ISLAMABAD: Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) have canceled the leaves of its employees keeping in view the flood till the normal situation.

The WAPDA and PEPCO took the decision on the directives of Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf, said a press release issued here on Friday.

The Minister has also declared emergency in WAPDA and PEPCO and directed all the Chief Executives Officers (CEOs) of power distribution companies to remain available in the flood affected areas round the clock for addressing the electricity complaints.

He directed that all possible assistance and cooperation to be extended to the local administration for restoration of electricity in the affected areas.

The Minister in his directions has asked that WAPDA officials shouldalso present in all the major dams and barrages during the flood seasons andremained vigilant for any emergency situation.

He asked the Chairman Wapda and MD PEPCO to set up coordination cellsint the head offices to get in touch with the field staff for monitoring andinformation in order to take precautionary measures.

Pervez Ashraf said that at least GM level officers should be appointedin the coordination cells.

The Cells will directly report to the Chairman, MD and the Minister.

The Minister has also directed Federal Flood Commission for effective coordination with local administration in flood particularly in Khyber Pakhtukhaw and asked to provide all the assistance and early warning to them.

KARACHI: Two activists of an outlawed religious outfit allegedly involved in supplying weapons to terrorists have been rounded up in Shershah area, Geo News reported Friday.

According to SP CID Mazhar Shawani, in raid conducted in Shershah area police arrested two activists Muhamamd Rizwan and Dawood belonging to defunct Jaish-e-Muhammad and recovered two TT pistols.

He said the accused were involved in supplying weapons to terrorists in Sukkur and that they had fled to Karachi following a raid on their hideout in Sukkur.

A police party has been sent to Sukkur to arrest other accomplices of the accused and to seize more weapons.

KARACHI: Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan has directed the relevant authorities to take safety measures in view of expected floods in Sindh province.

He directed to keep on standby all necessary machinery to cope with the emergency situation in view of expected floods.

Ebad said people from localities feared to be affected by floods should be shifted to safe places. The people in these areas should also be informed about floods, he said.

The governor instructed Sindh Health Department and all administrators to activate health centers and ensure availability of staff and medicines.

ISLAMABAD: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Chief Junaid Amin on Friday brushed aside all speculations about possibility of terrorism in Airblue plane crash, saying that the age of pilot of the unfortunate airbus was legitimate allowed while he was medically fit.

“We have recorded all the details. The log book, radar picture, ATC tape and all other relevant information was secured to facilitate the safety investigation board. Moreover, the controllers of the ATC were fully qualified. The communication of the pilot with the control room was absolutely normal,” said Director General, CAA, Junaid Amin while addressing a press conference here.

He also ruled out questions over the rest period of the pilot, saying that the rest period was “strictly according to the book”. He had gone for flying on July 26 while the accident took place on July 28, he added.

“The pilot was slightly under 62 years which is allowed under laws. We, at CAA, have stringent rules which are even better than the international protocols. We conduct a medical board every six months to fully examine the pilots” health,” he added.

ISLAMABAD: Chief Executive of Air Blue Airline Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that the bodies of 102 passengers, killed in the Wednesday’s plane crash in Margalla Hills, have been handed over to their heirs, while samples for DNA tests of 62 individuals have been sent to the laboratory.

Talking to media-persons here on Friday he said that the airline would pay insurance money to heirs of the plane crash victims, for which registration has begun.

He asked the relatives of victims to get themselves registered with the airline through internet or report to the nearest Air Blue office.

Abbasi said that search for the black box of the plane was underway. “At the time of the crash, the plane was flying at a height of 1000 feet. The black box has not yet been found because the wreckage spread far and wide”, he said.

He said that six personnel of Air Blue were also members of the investigation team tasked to find the causes of the incident, adding “We want to make public the details of the investigative report.”

Brushing aside the rumours that the pilot of the airliner was suffering from fatigue, he said the pilot had rested for 36 hours before the flight.

He said Pervaiz Iqbal Chaudhry, the pilot of the ill-fated plane was a seasoned pilot, who had 25000 hours experience to hi credit.

The chief executive said that the pilot was 61- year- old, while the standard at the international level is 65 years.

Abbasi said that Flying Officer Mujttahid Chughtai was 34-year- old and he had served in Pakistan Air Force as a F-16 jetfighter pilot. He had 1700 hours experience including the 300 hours in the crashed plane.

He did not agree that there was any technical problem that resulted in airliner”s crash and added there was also no report of any terrorist act. Even, the Interior Minister Rehman A. Malik hadalready ruled out the possibility of any act of terrorism, he said.

To a question he said that rules and laws of the Civil Aviation Authority were very strict and it was evident from the six years” record of Air Blue that it strictly followed those rules and never committed a violation.

He claimed that the Air Blue was the first airline in Pakistan, which started issuing boarding cards to passengers after checking their ID Cards.