KOHAT, Dec 23: The brother of an ‘influential’ provincial government official was on Friday arrested along with his companion for trying to kidnap a policeman and possessing an unlicensed weapon.

Officials told Dawn that Lal Shireen and his friend Naseem were stopped at the mills police checkpost for checking. The police found an unlicensed pistol with the former, who is the brother of an influential official of local government department. Lal Shireen threatened to get the policemen at the post suspended by his brother.

The accused even tried to run away in his car with a policeman, who was taking him to concerned police station for registration of a case. But Lal Shireen was apprehended at the ISSB road by a police mobile team.

They were presented before a judge for taking their remand for two days but the court allowed the police custody of the accused for one day.

The Riaz Khan Shaheed police registered case against the accused for harassing, kidnapping and possessing illegal weapons.

Meanwhile, according to documents available with Dawn the said official in the local government department enjoys influence and despite being arrested for involvement in corruption cases has been restored to service even with promotions.

He also got himself off the hook in similar investigations carried out against him by a former DIG intelligence branch and the office of the corps commander, Peshawar.

AFFILIATION: The University of Engineering and Technology (UET) has ‘jeopardised’ the future of students of bachelor of technology (B-Tech) department of the Kohat College of Engineering and Technology by canceling its affiliation.

Official sources and students told this correspondent the bachelor of technology department had no separate building, permanent staff and funds which led to the cancellation of their affiliation by the UET, Peshawar.

They said the classes of the faculty were started in 2009 and since then they were accommodated in small rooms on temporary basis. The students feared that if they were not affiliated their diplomas would not be officially recognised and they would not get jobs.

The president of the Kohat B-Tech engineers association Noor Islam blamed the provincial directorate of education and the concerned minister for ignoring the issue of permanent staff and building for several years.

He said the Kohat B-Tech was the only institution of its kind in Kohat, Hangu, Karak and adjoining tribal areas.

They appealed to the chief minister and elected representatives from Kohat to restore their affiliation with the UET. They demanded action against the concerned officials of the education directorate for canceling their registration.

Dawn learnt that the government had initially started the classes of the bachelor of technology in the stores of the civil engineering department as no separate building had been constructed for the new faculty.