June 21, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 05, 1428

PESHAWAR, June 20: The Sarhad Petroleum Cartage and Dealers Association has threatened to close petrol pumps across the province in protest against the police’s highhandedness and robberies at petrol pumps.

“Whenever the owner of a petrol pump stops providing fuel for free to the local police, they start harassing workers and security guards on different pretexts,” chairman of SPCD Mansoor Sharif alleged at a press conference on Wednesday.

He said the petrol pump owners and administration were facing threats by the police and dacoits.

About the number of robberies at petrol pumps in the city, he said one of their association’s members, Riaz Khan, was deprived of Rs 1.3 million near the Taru Jabba locality on the G. T. Road but despite the passing of three months neither the dacoits were arrested nor the looted amount recovered.

In an incident which occurred on June 18 four armed men stormed the Marwat Filling Station on the G. T. Road near Nasirpur. The security guard of the station was seriously injured when the dacoits opened fire with an AK 47.

In another incident, police humiliated the workers and guard of the A-1 Waziristan petrol pump on the Kohat Road, near Mattani, when its owner refused to provide free fuel to the SHO Mattani police station.

Aziz Khan, owner of the pump, said that the then SHO of the Mattani police station, Rajab Ali Khan, demanded a monthly amount of Rs10,000 from him besides being provided diesel worth Rs1,000 per day.

He said that the refusal of bribe and fuel irritated the SHO who picked up the guard and workers on the pretext for harbouring criminals and keeping unlicensed weapon. After the police action no one was left to look after the pump and a robbery occurred during the same night in which Rs 1 million was stolen, he alleged.

Mr Khan said that when they asked the Mattani police to register an FIR, the police not only denied to book the case but also warned him of dire consequences if he raised the issue in the media.

To register grievances against SHO Rajab Ali Khan, he said Sarhad Petroleum Cartage and Dealers Association office- bearers held a meeting with IGP Sharif Virk who ordered an inquiry into the case but no action was taken against the SHO. Now the SHO was making repeated telephone calls, boasting that the petrol pump owner could not harm him.

He said that the Sarhad Petroleum Cartage and Dealers Association set a deadline of 10 days to recover the stolen money, arrest the dacoits and punish the police.

He said if their demands were not met then they would stop supplying fuel to consumers across the province.