Three dead bodies found in Lakki Marwat

LAKKI MARWAT: Three men were found dead in separate areas of Lakki Marwat on Saturday, police said, after unidentified attackers allegedly shot them and dumped their bodies in fields.

According to police, two bodies were spotted by local residents in the Asmatabad area, who alerted the Ghaznikhel police. A police contingent reached the site and moved the bodies to the District Headquarters Hospital.

Police said a third body was discovered in the Khaisorewala area, which falls within the jurisdiction of the Shaheed Asmatullah Khan Khattak police station in Serai Naurang town. The body was shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital for a postmortem examination.

The victims were reported to have sustained bullet wounds. Police said investigations had been launched into the killings.

Wildlife research grants distributed

In a separate development, the wildlife department distributed research grant cheques to students and researchers from public-sector universities, including the University of Lakki Marwat, under the Special Game Reserve Project.

Project director Khan Malook Khan handed over cheques to 14 students during a ceremony held at the wildlife office on Saturday. Speaking at the event, he said the department had invited research synopses from students of public-sector universities for projects related to wildlife, biodiversity, conservation of natural habitats, survival of rare species, and science-based wildlife management under the project’s ‘Support to Various Public Sector Universities for Wildlife-Based Research’ component.

He said proposals were received from several universities and were reviewed by a research proposal evaluation committee on the basis of scientific quality, practical utility, research innovation, and their expected contribution to wildlife conservation. The committee recommended 14 students and researchers for grants.

Mr Khan said selected researchers had been given the initial 50 per cent instalment as mobilisation advance in line with the project’s PC-I, while the remaining 50 per cent would be released after successful completion of the research and submission of the final report.

He said research grants worth a total of Rs1 million had been approved, with financial assistance being extended to PhD, MPhil and BS students according to their level of study. He also said scientific research was essential for wildlife conservation, biodiversity management and policymaking.