GHALANAI: Former peace committees of Mohmand Agency’s Baizai tehsil voluntarily handed over a huge cache of weapons to the administration in Bahi Daag area on Saturday.

Assistant Political Agent Abdullah Shah told newsmen that the handing over of weapons to the administration marked the phasing out of the peace committees.

Heads of former peace committees, Malik Sultan Kodakhel, Malik Sanober Khan, Malik Zar Jan and Malik Sabir Khan, and a large number of tribal elders attended the ceremony.

“It is part of the National Action Plan and in accordance with the directives of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and the political administration for handing over heavy weapons to the administration in order to strengthen the writ of the state,” said Mr Shah.

He said that for the first time the administration had deployed 300 Levies personnel in the area to secure the border posts and for that purpose the weapons would be given to them.

The weapons, which were handed over, included three RPG-7, five anti-aircraft guns, eight short-range

missiles, two anti-tank mines, thousands of live rounds of different bores and 44 shells of RPG-7 ammunition.

Talking to journalists, chief of Baizai former peace committee Malik Sultan Koda Khel said that peace was restored in the area because of the sacrifices rendered by security forces, tribal people and peace committees.

“We handed over the weapons to the local administration because there is no terrorist in the area,” he said.

Mr Sultan said the area needed mega projects in health, education and communication sectors.

He said 45 volunteers of the Baizai committee had been killed and 83 injured in terrorist attacks in the area.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2015