KOHAT/SWABI: Police claimed on Saturday to have arrested over 150 suspected persons, including Afghan nationals and proclaimed offenders, during search operations to ensure that Independence Day celebrations were held without any disturbance.

In Kohat, 120 suspects, including 12 Afghans, were arrested in a targeted operation conducted in the city, Jangle Khel, OTS Road residential area and Afghan camps of Ublan and Ghamkol, surroundings of the cadet college, and outskirts of the city. The Afghan nationals were arrested for illegally staying in the district.

Police said that 13 persons had been detained for having incomplete rental documents.

During the operation, the police also recovered weapons and drugs from the possession of some of the suspects, which included six small machine guns, six rifles, seven shotguns, 15 pistols, hundred rounds of different bores and three kilogrammes hashish.

In Swabi, police arrested 35 suspects a day before the Independence Day celebrations, administration and police officials said.

They said no one would be allowed to spoil the Independence Day gatherings as all measures had been taken to provide security umbrella to such functions. The district administration has already imposed section 144, banning firing in the air and pillion-riding.

District police officer Javid Iqbal told Dawn they had kept a tight watch over mountainous region of Gadoon Amazai and other sensitive areas to deal with any eventuality.

The search operation is continuing in the backdrop of killing of a terrorist and arrest of two militants from the Swabi-Buner border area. The police and elite force along with officials of secret agencies have been constantly monitoring the activities of suspects and whenever they need reinforcements we provide them the force without delay, he said, adding a pre-dawn operation was also conducted in Chota Lahor in which several suspected persons were arrested.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2016