PESHAWAR, March 15: Police resorted to baton -charge on ticket seekers after all 10,000 tickets for the third One-day International between Pakistan and India were sold out on the first day on Monday.

Sale of tickets was marred by mismanagement at both the designated branches of Bank Alfalah. "We are here to control things and put the people on the right track.

We know how to deal with these ill-mannered people," said ASI Arshad at Cantonment Branch of the bank, wherethe people, especially youngsters, including college and universitystudents had come to secure tickets for the much-awaited match.

Sale of tickets at both the Cantt and city branches of the bank was grossly mismanaged as the police manhandled ticket- seekers at different intervals without provocation.

A young man was dragged by a constable who asked his colleagues to beat him up, which infuriated local journalists, who came to his rescue. In another incident an old man was severely disgracedby police, which forced him to sit on the ground for at least an hour.

PCB's claim of smooth sale of tickets proved wrong, as this scribe witnessed bank employees issuing 15 tickets to one boy. Likewise,many people were kept waiting in queues outside the bank, while employees were busy selling tickets inside.

An employee, gave 10 tickets to one of his friends which caused unrest among the waiting ticket-seekers, but the police were only there to create trouble by resorting to baton-charge and at that many youngsters turned violent and chanted slogans against PCB and police.

Officials said that sale of tickets would continue for three days. However, on the first day the bank's officials said that all stock of tickets had been exhausted.

For general enclosure about 10,000 tickets were sold out in the two branchesof the bank, whereas for the VIP and VVIP enclosures,ticketsare being sold atRs1200 and Rs1500 at a booth set up at Gymkhana Cricket Ground, Shahi Bagh.

Thousands of ticket-seekers were left high and dry and went empty handed when they were told that tickets had finished. For VIP and VVIP enclosures, tickets worth Rs1.2millionwere sold out although it was said that tickets would be on sale for the next two days.

An official pointed out that 20 per cent of the ticket had been sold out on the internet, whereas80 per cent would be available to the people.