Cabinet approves Salt Range National Park over 13,700 acres.

LAHORE -- The Punjab cabinet on Thursday accorded approval to develop the Sambli (North) Reserve Forest as the Salt Range National Park over an area of 13,700 acres to enhance tree cover and protect the environment.

Chairing a Punjab cabinet meeting at a local hotel on Thursday where Punjab Assembly session is in progress, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said cutting of trees and hunting would be banned in the national park while the land won't be utilised for any other purpose in this park.

Directing that a notification for the park be issued promptly, the CM also sought constitution of the management committee to oversee the park's affairs.

In another development, the cabinet approved the appointment of former Punjab chief secretary retired Maj Azam Suleman Khan as the provincial ombudsman.

Mr Khan, a BPS-22 officer, was serving as interior secretary and still had several months to reach the age superannuation.

Though it is a rare case that bureaucrats serving at good positions seek premature retirement, officials say such examples are found when the officer sees a more lucrative opportunity that he might lose at the time of formal retirement.

In this case too, the officials said, Mr Khan sought premature...