KOHAT: Exchange of hot words took place between members of the bazaar union and provincial minister for local government Inayatullah Khan here on Thursday when he said he might not attend their function due to his pressing engagements in Peshawar.

The minister was on a visit of Kohat and besides other engagements he was scheduled to attend a function arranged by the bazaar union.

However, during a function at the library he told the union members he might not be able to attend their function. Israr Shinwari, secretary general of the traders association, stood and told the minister that if he had no time for them then they were also not interested to attend his functions.

The association members also left the function. Mr Shinwari regretted that whenever they invited a minister he left Kohat without meeting them. The minister later went to the civil club where the bazaar association had arranged the function and delivered a brief speech. The association members, however, chanted slogans against the minister after which the function ended.

The minister also attended a briefing by the Kohat Development Authority project director, Najeeb Afridi, and asked the authority to try to generate its own revenues rather than taking grant in aid from the provincial government. At a convention of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf and Jamaat-i-Islami at Bacha Khan Library, the minister said that their alliance would sweep the coming local government polls. The convention was attended by MPA Ziaullah Bangash and PTI and JI activists.

ATTACK: A house came under a rocket attack from unknown miscreants, damaging its boundary wall, at Cheri Banda on Dhoda road here on Thursday. Owner of the house Burhanuddin told Bilitang police that he was sitting in a room when he heard an explosion. He said that when he came out he found that the wall had been damaged in the attack. The police have registered the case.

Meanwhile, commissioner Kohat division on Thursday directed the district administrations of Kohat, Karak and Hangu to curb crimes in their respective jurisdictions.