Temple land grab in Pak’s Punjab, claims PPP leader
LAHORE, Sep 14: Pakistan’s senior leader of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s party, Nadeem Afzal Chan, has claimed that the land of a temple in Bhalwal, located 250 kilometers from Lahore, has been illegally occupied by Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman. Chan, who is close to PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, also alleged that several acres of land of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) in Bhera and Kot Momin in Sargodha have also been illegally occupied by the nephews of the chief secretary. The ETPB is responsible for the holy places of minorities in Pakistan. Chan has spoken to many bureaucrats who have told him that the nephews of the chief secretary are involved in occupying the temple’s land in these three areas. The chief secretary chose not to comment on the matter. A source in the ETPB told PTI that the land of the temple in question has been occupied in connivance with some officials of the board. (PTI)
Sri Lanka polls stalled over 2018 report: EC
COLOMBO, Sep 14: The long-delayed elections to Sri Lanka’s nine provincial councils are unlikely to be held soon, as they can only be held once Parliament adopts the 2018 delimitation report. The Election Commission Director General, Saman Sri Ratnayake, stated that polls can only take place once the necessary changes are made by Parliament. A 2017 law introduced a mixed electoral system combining proportional representation and first-past-the-post voting, but the delimitation committee’s report was never tabled in Parliament. Since 1988, provincial polls have been held under the proportional representation system, but political parties are now pushing for a return to the old method without waiting for delimitation. India has reiterated its stand at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session, calling for early conduct of provincial council elections and meaningful devolution of power. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Vijitha Herath, responded that the elections will be conducted by the independent elections commission once the delimitation process concludes. A draft UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka urges the early holding of the polls as a signal of the government’s commitment to devolution of political power. (PTI)
Suspected gas leak blast hits Madrid: One dead, 25 hurt
MADRID, Sep 14: A suspected gas leak explosion in a building in Madrid killed one person and injured 25, emergency services for the Spanish capital said on Sunday. Rescue workers found the body of a man in a rescue operation with search dogs following the explosion on Saturday, authorities said. Spanish news agency EFE said that firefighters suspect that the explosion was caused by a gas leak, but police were still investigating its cause. Firefighter Chief Javier Romero said that firefighters pulled four people from the rubble after the explosion occurred at around 3 pm on Saturday on the ground floor of a three-story building. He said that the blast damaged a cafe, a store and other properties. (AP)