IANS 
 
Islamabad, Oct 8: A Pakistani beggar shamed a cellular operator when he reminded it that whatever be his profession, he deserved to be treated like any other subscriber and be shown the same courtesies.

Muhammad Zafar, who has for long been begging on the streets of Sialkot in Punjab, was miffed when the guards at a Mobilink franchise tried to stop him from entering the shop.

"The man, clad in his professional attire, first snubbed the guard and then addressed the franchise staff, saying right now he was a customer deserving all the respect and care the multinational firm claimed to have for its subscribers," Dawn newspaper reported on Sunday.

He informed the staff that he was visiting the shop not to seek alms but obtain a duplicate SIM card.

"After getting the SIM, he left the franchise but not without delivering a thorough lecture on the importance of customer care," Dawn said.
 

Fifty Militants, 20 Soldiers Killed in Pakistan
 
PTI
 
Islamabad:  Fifty pro-Taliban militants and 20 soldiers were killed in clashes in Pakistan's restive North Waziristan tribal region on Sunday.

Security forces launched a massive crackdown in retaliation for attacks on the military by rebels over the past few days.

Over 30 militants were killed and ten soldiers injured in clashes south of the town of Mir Ali after some 500 security force personnel backed by helicopter gunships and artillery launched an operation against militant hideouts in the region bordering Afghanistan, military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said.

Hours after the operation by the security forces began, militants ambushed a military convoy at Hassukhel in North Waziristan, killing at least 10 soldiers and injuring 12 others. Twenty militants were killed when soldiers retaliated, Arshad said, adding that the two sides were still exchanging fire.

In a separate incident, security forces arrested two militants in the same area.

Local residents claimed that four civilians, including three women and a child, were also killed in the clashes in the mountainous area.

The Army launched the crackdown after the militants ambushed two military convoys using improvised explosive devices near Mirali town on Saturday, killing two soldiers and injuring 30 others. The operation was continuing till late Sunday, with security forces shelling militant hideouts in the mountains, reports said.