Punjab CM Naqvi salutes heroic struggle of labourers

him the friend of Allah,” he added, and saluted the dignity of labourers, saying that no nation can tread on the path of progress and success without them.

CM Naqvi then highlighted the initiatives taken by incumbent government for the labour community stating, “the caretaker government has raised the minimum wages of workers from Rs25,000 to Rs32,000.”

LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

Punjab Chief Minister Punjab

Mohsin Naqvi in his message on the International Labour Day on Monday felicitated heartily all the manpower of Pakistan and also expressed his good wishes for them.

The Chief Minister stated that this day reminds us of the strug- gle of the martyrs of Chicago against oppression and brutality and that the labourers are our heroes who augment the economy by earning legitimate livelihood.

Mohsin Naqvi also paid tribute to the heroic struggle of the labourers in the construction and progress of the country.

“The dignity of the labourers has been highlighted by declaring

He further emphasised that Pakistani manpower needs to be equipped with advanced technologies in order to increase the productivity.

He continued by saying that workers and employers are partners in efforts of national development.

Towards the end, CM Mohsin Naqvi pledged allegiance to protect the rights of workers and to take steps for their collective welfare.

NEELUM VALLEY STAFF REPORT

Two tourists died, five were injured and another seven went missing after a jeep, coming from the upper belt of Neelum Valley with 14 occupants, plunged into the Neelum River on Monday.

According to District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the incident took place when the jeep, coming from Taobat (the last village of Neelum Valley) to Kel Town careened into the Neelum River near Phallawi owing to bad road condition.

The group of 12 people, all of whom belonged to Lahore, were on board the jeep with the driver and his helper.

Rescue teams rushed to the scene soon after receiving the information and started rescue operation.

The rescue officials retrieved a body and rushed the five injured to a hospital while one injured succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Search operation for seven others was still underway.

The deceased and injured were identified as Hussain s/o Sheraz Ahmed, Muhammad Zameer Sheikh s/o Sheikh Safdar, Moin Ahmed, s/o Javed Iqbal Ibrahim s/o Abdul Majeed driver Shandaas Neelam Rafiq s/o Nadeem and helper Shandaas Neelam.

Meanwhile, Umair s/o Safdar Sheikh, Shahnawaz s/o Sheikh Maqsood, Azir s/o Ashraf, Bilal s/o Muhammad Maqbool, Ghulam Meeran s/o Javed Iqbal, Zeeshan, Waleed, Rafiq, and Rahim were among the missing persons.

The rescue and relief operation along with media coverage of the tragedy was hampered by the nonavailability of communication system in the area.

Balochistan braces for more thunderstorms

QUETTA STAFF REPORT

Hot and dry weather will persist in most of the districts while gusty winds and thundershowers are likely in the northern coastal plains and southern regions of Balochistan during the next 24 hours.

According to the Meteorological Department, gusty winds and thundershowers are likely in Quetta, Kalat, Khuzdar, Ziarat, Barkhan, Chaman, Kalat, Dalbandin, Awaran, Panjgur, Kharan and Lasbela.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 26 degrees Celsius in Quetta, 24 degrees Celsius in Ziarat, 22 degree Celsius in Kalat, 24 degree Celsius in Pishin, 33 degrees Celsius in Gwadar and 35 degrees Celsius in Sibi.

In Punjab, areas including Narowal, Kartarpur and suburbs received heavy rain which turned the weather pleasant. The rain, however, caused the feeders to trip, suspending the power supply to many areas. “It will continue raining for the next 24 hours,” the Meteorological Department said.

Cold winds also turned the weather pleasant in Lahore, Hafizabad and Karachi. Temperature is expected to hover around 24 degree centigrade in Lahore and 34 degree centigrade in Karachi.