MINGORA: The police on Wednesday registered separate FIRs against owners of six auto-workshops for violating ban on the reassembly of non-custom paid vehicles.

The district administration of Swat had formally requested the police for registration of FIRs under Section 144.

There has been a ban on reassembling NCP vehicles since September 25, 2014.

The ban will remain effective for two months.

An official of the administration said owners of workshops had formally been informed about the ban.

“Since the imposition of ban, we’ve found six workshops to be violating it by reassembling non-custom paid vehicles,” he said.

The official said FIRs were lodged in the relevant police stations to initiate action against them under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The reassembly of NCP vehicles is rife in the region with the police strongly feeling such vehicles are used by terrorists in the province.

Lately, provincial police chief Nasir Khan Durrani had written to the interior ministry, Federal Bureau of Revenue and provincial chief secretary informing them about the use of NCP vehicles in terrorism-related activities.

The provincial police chief had suggested in the letter the registration of NCP vehicles in Malakand division and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to check their use in terrorism.

It is more likely that in Swat, where the headquarters of Malakand division are stationed, the administration will soon take steps for registering NCP vehicles but many believe it will be a difficult task as Swat and other districts of Malakand divisions are part of a tax-free zone.

When contacted, Swat deputy commissioner Mehmood Aslam Wazir said the administration had issued notices to vehicle body makers and mechanics to register themselves with the relevant department for reassembly of vehicles otherwise they would face action under the law.

EXPLOSIVES SEIZED: The police on Wednesday seized explosives at a graveyard in Gogdara area of Swat.

A police official said the explosives were recovered when the people dug up a piece of land in the graveyard for burying a body.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2014