August 09, 2006	Wednesday	Rajab 13, 1427

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KOHAT, Aug 8: Police detained district nazim of Kohat Seth Gohar Saifullah Khan and sent his four companions, a union council nazim, a councilor and two bodyguards to judicial lock-up for allegedly misbehaving with the district police officer in his office on Tuesday.

The nazim had called the DPO on late Monday night asking him to release a vehicle, for which customs duty had not been paid, and son of a councillor who was driving it. The car had been seized by the rescue 15 staff.

On refusal of the DPO the nazim along with four men came to the office of DPO Gul Afzal Afridi, and had an argument with him.

The ASP headquarters, Vaqas Hassan, took them to his office to cool them down but they are reported to have misbehaved with him.

After leaving the police offices councillor Malik Tariq who had come to get his son’s car released through the nazim allegedly snatched the shoulder badge of a duty head constable Aman which infuriated the DPO and the ASP.

The bodyguards of the nazim were disarmed and he was detained in the office of DSP Hilal Haider for four hours. Councillor Malik Tariq, union council nazim Misbahuddin, gunman Younis Khan and driver Gul Ajab were put behind bar.

In the afternoon, the nazim was taken to the office of DIG Adul Majeed Marwat where he and the DPO entered into a compromise through the efforts of three MPAs and district coordination officer, Arshad Majeed Mohmand. The police officials decided not to register any case against the nazim and his four companions after he apologised for his behaviour. Both the parties agreed not to take any legal action against each other for three days.

Seth Gohar while addressing a protest meeting at Martyrs’ Square after his release said that he had requested the DPO to release the son and the vehicle of a councillor on telephone and later visited his office to find some solution of the issue. There were bruises on the face of the nazim after his release from police captivity.

He warned police to change its attitude and solve people’s problems instead of harassing them.

ASP, Vaqas talking to journalists briefed them about the whole incident and said that nobody was above the law and if anybody tried to blackmail police, stern action would be taken against him, no matter how influential he was.

He said that police had great respect for elected representatives of the people and hoped that such incidents would not happen in future because their prime duty was to serve the masses and not to misuse their authority for personal and political gains.

The business community closed their shops for some time after learning about the arrest of the nazim and the jewellers community observed complete shutter down along with the people of Mohammadzai village, the home town of the district nazim.