KARACHI: A Mirage plane of Pakistan Air Force is missing since 8 pm after becoming airborne over Karachi, sources in Inter-Services Public Relations said here on Thursday. The Mirage piloted by Squadron Leader Mazhar was on a routine flight. Efforts are being made to ascertain the situation, the sources added. "A search is under way," an air force official said on condition of anonymity. Civil aviation sources said they believed the plane went down in the Arabian Sea, near Keamari port. It was not known if the pilot ejected, they said.

KARACHI: A US national, in his early 30s and an owner of a printing press, disappeared mysteriously near a local hotel situated within the Frere police limits, insiders disclosed on Thursday. "Denny was last at around 7.00 pm seen outside a local hotel where he was probably staying," a senior police officer revealed.

"His mysterious disappearance was very vexing for the police and the administration in the context of the present disturbed global situation, the war in neighboring Afghanistan, and the gunmen's attack at the American Centre in Kolkata," a senior officer of the political wing of the Special Branch of the Sindh police added.

"We are praying for his safe recovery at the earliest because, if something's wrong, I mean there's anything dangerous, there will be lots of fuss in its aftermath," another officer said, adding, "the higher-ups of army regime are very annoyed after being informed about the incident." "We have launched a search operation and are working day and night to recover him," an officer added.

MISHAPS: An elderly man was crushed to death under the wheels of a locomotive while a minor girl was wounded seriously when suffered burn injures, police and hospital sources said. Rasheed Gul, 70, crushed to death under the wheels of a train while he was crossing the tracks near Baloch Colony police limits. He was the resident of Umer Colony. His body was sent to JPMC.

Meanwhile, Fareed, a five-year-old child, was killed when he fell victim to a hit-and-run incident in Saeedabad. His body was removed to the Civil Hospital for autopsy and the police were investigating. Zeenat, 9, sustained severe burn injuries at her Korangi residence. She was rushed to Civil Hospital in serious condition.

ROBBERIES: Armed robbers barged into the residence of a fisherman, Shafiullah in TPX police precincts and demanded cash and valuables. The fisherman resisted on which the robbers shot at him wounding seriously. Robbers, however, took away some valuables while fleeing. Neighbourers rushed him to Civil Hospital for medical aid.

In other hold-ups, armed looted cash, gold ornaments and other valuables from the house of Ejaz, a leader of PTV employees union, in Federal B Industrial Area; cash, jewellery from Atique's house in Korangi police limits; cash and valuables from a dairy farm of Fazal in Guddap.

Meanwhile, armed bandits intercepted M Faisal in Gizri police area and deprived him of cash, wrist watch and other valuables; snatched cash from M Aslam in Liaquatabad police area; and cash and valuables from M Ashraf Sattar in Korangi Industrial Area.

ARRESTED: The Brigade police foiled a robbery bid and arrested an accused Aamir alias Tanki, after wounding him during a shoot-out. The injured accused was transported to JPMC for medical aid. He is reportedly affiliated with a political group.

The CIA police arrested an accused Ehsan Baba, allegedly the last alive member of mercenaries' group, allegedly, the last alive member of mercenaries' group, wanted in various cases of killings and other heinous criminals acts. The police conducted a raid at a place in Garden area and nabbed him. In another raid the CIA police arrested M Khawar and M Iqbal from Super Market area and recovered two TT pistols. Police also recovered stolen items from them.

WOUNDED: Muhammad Akram was shot at and wounded in Sector 5-G, North Karachi. He was rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors are trying to save his life. An ASI of the traffic police nabbed two accused allegedly involved in robbing a coach in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Sources said that ASI Rafique was deputed at his traffic intersection, when a pedestrian, Shuja'at, told him that two robbers were travelling in a coach.

The ASI followed the vehicle and intercepted it near Urdu Science College. Later, he arrested both the accused and recovered TT pistols and Rs 26,100, and took them to the Aziz Bhatti police station. The DIG, Traffic, Saud Mirza, has awarded a cash prize to the cop and also suggested his promotion to the next rank.

CARJACKING: Armed men took away 13 cars and 16 motorbikes from different parts of the city. The Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC), Sharifabad, arrested two people, including a woman, allegedly involved in carjacking.

The sources said that the ACLC team, headed by Sub-Inspector Rao Aish Muhammad, after spotting a suspicious car (ABF-200) intercepted its two riders, including a woman. The police asked both of them to show the papers of the vehicles, but they couldn't. Subsequently, the police nabbed them, identified as Shahab and Shazia.

Later, during interrogation, it was revealed that the car was snatched from Bahadurabad on January 22. The accused also disclosed that they were the members of a gang of carjackers. On their information the police arrested their one more accomplices, Salim, and recovered a TT pistol and a vehicle (PE-5190).

KARACHI: The frantic race among senior most police officers to get posted as Town Police Officers (TPOs), finally ended when Sindh police high-ups, administration and home department, named officials for 19 posts of TPOs in the city, insiders disclosed to The News on Thursday.

The posts of TPOs in new Metropolitan Police set-up would be Grade PBS-18, but contestants for these posts were officers of the rank of DIG and SSP, insiders revealed. According to sources in Central Police Offices and staff of the office of the IGP Sindh, the nominees for these posts also included some present and former district chiefs of the city police.

Those named for the posts of TPOs for the Towns of the city were Dr Tariq Khokhar, presently serving as SSP West for Saddar; Ghulam Qadir Theibo (former SSP) for Clifton; AD Khwaja (former SSP South and Principal of Police Training College) for Jamshed Quarters; Mohib Ali DSP Kharadar for Lyari; ASP West Khurram for Keamari; former ASP Azad Bin Haidar for Shah Faisal; Acting SSP Malir Aziz-ur-Rahman for Bin Qasim; SP Landhi Korangi Zubair Ashraf for Landhi, ASP Asif Aijaz for North Nazimabad; Arab Mehar for North Karachi; former SSP Central and deputy director FIA immigration Husain Asghar for Liaquatabad; Fayyaz Qureshi for Orangi Town; DSP West Imam Bakhsh Taggar for Baldia; ASP Clifton Imran for SITE; ASP Dara for Gadap; Asghar Ali for Korangi; ADIG Special Branch Sanaullah Abbasi for Gulshan-e-Iqbal; SP Central Irfan Shaikh for Gulberg.

Name of the TPO nominated for Malir Town was not available. "But I have heard that AD Khwaja refused accept his posting at Jamshed Town," disclosed a senior officer. "It is a matter of prestige. Khwaja is an officer of good repute and remained SSP South twice and does not want to be posted as TPO anywhere else," he added and went on to say: "There is a possibility that he will be posted as principal of Police Training College again. Others are, however, happy as they have won their battle of posting."

It was a matter of shame that senior officers working as DIGs in grade PBS-19 were contesting for the posts of TPOs, while even ASPs were named for these posts, said another officer. A high ranking official was furious over the rate race and pointed out that many of those who got nominated as TPOs of just a Town while they were district chiefs, heading 13 to 24 police stations.

"They will now have only five or six police stations under them. The posts of TPOs were created for newly appointed ASPs, the under-training ASPs or for those fresh from the academy, but senior officers of the rank of SSP, ADIG and AIG level were mad after the posts of TPOs," he stated.

KARACHI: Ghulam Hussnain, the journalist who went missing mysteriously, returned home, in more dramatic circumstances. Family sources said that Hussnain, a senior journalist who was missing since Tuesday evening returned home early this morning. He was last seen on Tuesday evening and on Wednesday his wife, Samina, reported the matter to the Artillery Maidan police, who lodged a FIR. Questions about his missing and safe return were still unanswered.

ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) Lt-Gen (retd) Tanvir Hussain Naqvi on Thursday announced 50% increase in the total seats of the provincial assemblies. Talking to newsmen here at NRB office he said that the percentage of women and technocrat seats was as per the percentage of seats in the National Assembly.

Following is the detail of seats:

Lt-Gen (retd) Naqvi said that originally the number of women seats in the Punjab Assembly was short and now a three-time increase had been made and overall disparities in seats had been removed. Replying to a question, he said that for provincial assemblies election the minimum educational qualification was also graduation. About Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) seats in the provincial assemblies, he said that these seat would be in addition to this new increase.