ATTOCK, Jan 13: The notorious Attock Khurd police checkpost at the main GT road has reappeared after remaining closed for over two years. The checkpost had been closed by the Punjab government on March 3, 2004 after manhandling of a BS-19 revenue officer, Asadul Islam Mani, by the policemen.

Following the incident and increasing complaints of malpractice and humiliation of commuters under the garb of checking, the government had ordered closure of the checkpost.

Taking cognizance of the incident, former Punjab chief secretary Kamran Rasool had also transferred the then District Coordination Officer (DCO) Syed Muhammad Javed Shah and District Police Officer (DPO) Syed Irshad Hussain Shah besides registering criminal cases against 10 officials of the Attock Khurd police station including the SHO.

Later, SSP Zafer Iqbal Awan was appointed DPO and was directed to ensure that the checkpost did not reappear.

The transporters plying on Peshawar-Attock route had expressed satisfaction over the decision, as the checkpost had become a major source of corruption.

The checkpost had also been closed in the past but was set up again due to interference of some influential figures.

When DPO Zafer Iqbal Awan was contacted, he said the check post had been reopened by the Punjab government after a meeting of the Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Governor Khalid Maqbool to check smuggling of arms and narcotics from NWFP to Punjab and other down areas of the country.