June 25, 2007	Monday	Jamadi-us-Sani 09, 1428

KOHAT, June 24: Local Taliban blew up a CD shop in a shopping centre in Bilitang town on Sunday.

Traders observed a complete strike in protest against the explosion and demanded of the administration to provide adequate security to businessmen. The CD shop’s owner, Tariq Khan, said the Taliban had given him no advance warning.

Traders told this correspondent that during talks with police, the in-charge of the nearby police checkpost, Riaz Bangash, had asked the traders to arrange their own security and “try to switch over to other businesses”.

He blamed the local Taliban for the blast and claimed that police were “trying to trace the criminals”.

Meanwhile, DCO Syed Shahab Ali Shah, who also holds the additional charge of the administrator of Frontier Region, summoned elders of six tribes to chalk out a joint strategy to combat gangs of inter-provincial criminals and Taliban.

He said that 35 serious crimes had been committed in the area in the past week alone while Taliban were also on the rise.

Maliks and elders who participated in the jirga held in the Circuit House belonged to Akhorwal, Sheraki, Tor Chappar, Jawaki, Zarghun Khel and Bosti Khel.

Assistant Political Agent Capt (retd) Tariq and other officials of the FR administration also attended the meeting.

Admitting that crime rate had risen considerably in the area, the DCO said that he wanted to avoid launching an operation in the area, adding that the tribal elders should spell out concrete steps for restoring peace in the region.