MANSEHRA, April 13: Following public complaints, the Federal Investigation Agency on Wednesday arrested a human trafficker and recovered over a dozen passports and fake visas from his possession. Sources in the FIA said that a team of the agency, headed by inspector Mushtaq Khan, raided a house in Ghazikot Township and arrested the accused, Sajid Khan. They said that the team also recovered passports, fake visas and stamps from the house. The sources said that the raid was conducted following written complaints by many people who were deprived of money by the accused on the pretext of sending them abroad, especially the US and European countries.

They claimed that during preliminary investigation it was found that Sajid Khan was involved in human trafficking for the last many years.

The FIA lodged the FIR of the case and have started investigation to trace other members of the gang.

FAKE DOMICILES: Elders of Torghar have demanded of the provincial government and district administration to check issuance of their area’s domicile to people from other districts, especially students who used it for admission on quota seats for youth of the newly-created district in different educational institutions of the country.

“Over 90 per cent population of Torghar is illiterate and non-residents are getting employments and admissions in medical colleges on illegally obtained domiciles of area.

With the change of tribal status of the area this practice should come to an end so that local people can get their due share in college admissions and jobs,” said elders of Torghar while speaking at a press conference in Oghi on Wednesday.

The elders, including Jahanzab Khan, Haji Sultan and Gulnawaz Shah, said that after change of the tribal status of the area the ratio of non-local people getting Torghar’s domicile had increased, as the government had started induction of local people in government departments of the new district.

They also demanded official investigation into documents of people working in government departments on Torghar’s domicile.

FOREST CUTTING: The forest owners and people at a forum in Battal area on Wednesday vowed to check timber smuggling and illegal cutting of forests in Konsh and Siren valleys on self-help basis.

The local people organised the forum, which was also attended by district forest officer of Siren forest division Ijaz Qadir, DSP Shinkiary Rasool Shah and elders of the area.

The owners said that illegal cutting of Ko-Tanglai forest was on its peak in connivance with officials of the forest department.

The elders of the area announced that they would now restrict the illegal cutting of forests on their own.

The forest officer praised the spirit of people and forest owners and assured them of the forest department’s cooperation in checking illegal tree cutting.