SARGODHA: A youth was killed and a man seriously injured when two groups exchanged fire over an old enmity in the Nabi Shah Bala area ofBhalwal on Sunday.

Rescue 1122 sources say that two rival groups exchanged fire, resulting in death of Rizwan (18), while Ghulam Abbas (40) was lef t seriously injured.

After the incident, the suspects managed to escape.

The youth`s body and the injured man were shifted to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Bhalwal by Rescue 1122 staff.A local source says that theNabi Shah Bala has become a no-go area for a long time because of high incidence ofdrugs and arms smuggling and even police avoid going there.

He said that the groups resorting to exchange of fire have allegedly also been involved in such criminal activities.

The source said that earlier, a youth was stripped in front of hiselderly mother and tortured by some criminals on suspicion of being an informer at Chak No 15 Sumali (North), but the Bhalwal Saddar police took no action against the culprits so far.

After a video clip of the torture incident surfaced on social media, DPO Muhammad Sohaib Ashraf took notice and ordered Bhalwal Saddar SHO to arrest the culprits.

He said the law andorder would be maintained in the district at all costs and elements spreading fear and panic in the area would be brought to justice.

AUCTION STAYED: The Lahore High Court issued a stay order, stopping the auction committee from auctioning the tenancy of government shops in two plazas in Sargodha city, adjourning the case hearing untilJune 12.

The tenants of the government shops in commercial plazas in Block 5 and Block 2 of Sargodha city had approached the LHC.They pleaded that they have been allottees of the shops for a long time, and invested huge amounts and worked hard to make the plazas functional.

They pleaded that their eviction and the re-auctioning of the shops tenancy is tantamount to rendering thousands of people unemployed.

The high court issued a stay order to the petitioners, including Mr Bilal, stopping the auction committee from auctioning the shops tenancy and adjourned the hearing of the case until June 12.

Local traders claim that bidders also showed no interest in the auction.