KARACHI: The Karachi police in their drive against criminals, arrested 39 accused during the past 24 hours.

A police statement on Tuesday said that those arrested included three absconders.

One of the accused arrested was said to be involved in kidnapping for ransom.

The statement also pointed out that 17 weapons of different calibres were also recovered from those arrested.

Official of the Provincial Met office informed that in upper parts of the province strong winds and sporadic rain with thunderstorm was expected.

He said that parts of Hazara, Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir were likely to have showers and heavy winds whereas the rest parts of the province would remain mostly dry.

The humidity remained 61 percent in the provincial capital on Tuesday morning.

During the last 24 hours no rain was recorded in any part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and majority of the plain areas and southern districts of the province remained in the grip of heat.

According to details provided by Director Public Relations AJK Raja Naveed, the approved projects are related to hydel generation, public health, physical planning and housing, transport, industries and telecommunication sectors.

The approval was accorded in the CDC meeting held in Muzaffarabad late Monday chaired by Prime Minister AJK Chaudry Abdul Majeed.

In education sector two projects of Rs590 million have been allocated for the establishment of Cadet College at Muzaffarabad and construction of multi-story complex with Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Mirpur.

Whereas 341.082 million have been allocated for transportation sector with the objectives of providing interest free loan for 1500 vehicles and rikshaws for self-employment in collaboration with commercial banks.

For the establishment of POL Quality Control Labs (Mobile Units) and weight measures lab at Mirpur, an amount of 138.466 million has been approved which will be executed by industries department.

For hydal generation two projects (1.0 MW Galetar Khud Gujran Hydro Power in District Kotli and 6.4 MW Chamfall, Hydro Power Project in Hattian) have been accorded approval with an allocation of Rs13.13 billion.

Physical Planning and Housing sector is provided Rs6.11 billion for the completion of 3 projects including the construction of women stadium at Islamgarh, water supply scheme Kharak, Mirpur and Tehsil Headquarter Abbaspur.

In telecommunication sector, 25km roads per constituency have been approved for up-gradation.

He said that all development projects would be monitored and no delay or substandard material would be tolerated at any cost.

He expressed deep sense of sorrow and grief over the martyrdom of a Levis jawan due to firing and said that those who fired on anti-polio team were enemies of the nation.

ASP Cantonment Bilal Faisal said that a generator placed on the third floor of the under-construction building exploded, causing the casualties.

Emergency and security forces reached the site of incident.

Nearby shops and electronic goods in the market were also damaged as a result of the explosion.

The injured were shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital.

Lady Reading Hospital officials said that eight people wounded in the blast were brought into the facility for treatment.

In a message of felicitation, the President lauding the will and determination of Samina Baig said that Samina Baig has made the nation proud and has earned laurels for the country by becoming the first Pakistani women to scale Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain with a peak at 8,848 meters.

He said that the whole nation was proud of the young lady mountaineer for her historic achievement and also for introducing Pakistani women as a symbol of talent and great potential.

Congratulating the women of the country and indeed the entire nation on the achievement, the President expressed confidence that the young Samina Baig will be followed as role model by women of the country and that her gigantic achievement will ignite zeal in women folk of Pakistan.

While paying glowing tribute to the two young Pakistani mountaineers from Gilgit Baltistan, Samina Baig (21) and Mirza Ali (29), the President termed the youth a great future asset of the country and said that Pakistani is a talented nation with all the potential to rise in every field of life and urged for the proper grooming and guiding of the talent of Pakistanis especially the youth and women of the county to maximize its true potential.

The President expressed hope that both Samina Baig and her brother Mirza Ali would continue to work hard and keep the flag of the country flying high in the world of mountaineering.

According to an official the cases of 68 such HGOs have been referred to departmental committee for further action. The ministry has warned the private Hajj Group Organisers (HGOs) to ensure provision of basic facilities to Hujjaj and in case of failure the organizer concerned could be black listed.

He said the Hajj operation would commence from September. A total of 35,000 Hujjaj would directly go to Madina. The ministry has started sending felicitation letters to successful Hujjaj.

HGOs would be provided Hajj forms from the May end. Hajj quota is being allotted to old HGOs only. The quota allotment to new HGO is impossible this year.

In a statement issued here on Monday, Wasay Jalil said that MQM has always competed legal battle instead of allegations and political blame game.

Wasey Jail said that his party has never targeted any political party or individual on the basis of suspicions or baseless accusations.

The MQM leader said that countrymen were genuinely attached with his party due to its pro-masses policies representing 98 percent suppressed people, raising voice against feudalism and in-equivalent distribution of national resources.

The attackers opened fire as the team was going to administer polio drops in Kalam town in Bajaur district, one of the seven tribal areas along the Afghan border, local administration official Suhail Ahmed Khan said.

"One tribal police official, who had been escorting the team, died in the attack," he told AFP.

There was no immediate report of any other casualties, he said, adding that the attackers managed to escape. A security official also confirmed the death.

Health officials said the campaign involved some 624 teams working to inoculate 223,570 children under five years of age against the crippling disease in Bajaur.

No female worker is participating in the vaccination campaign after attacks on polio teams across the country over the past few months killed more than 20 people.

No one has claimed responsibility for the killings.

Call for the shutdown has been given by the All Parties Hurriyet Conference Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir Media Service reported.

He has also given a call for march towards Eidgah in Srinagar to pay tributes to the martyrs.

Mirwaiz Moulvi Muhammad Farooq was martyred by unidentified gunmen at his residence in Srinagar on 21st May 1990. 70 mourners were killed in Hawal area of the city when Indian troops fired upon his funeral procession.

On the same day, in 2002, Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone, was shot dead by unknown assailants when he was returning from Eidgah after addressing a public gathering.