LANDI KOTAL, Sept 11: The Frontier Constabulary has intensified its campaign against unregistered vehicles in the Khyber Agency after the expiry of a deadline for the acquisition of a temporary registration from the political administration.

The FC established five checkpoints along Peshawar-Torkhum road to check the movement of these vehicles.

The Khyber Agency political administration had set Aug 31 as the last date for the issuance of temporary registration slip to all those vehicles which had crossed over from Afghanistan to the tribal area.

During its campaign, the FC impounded some 15 vehicles for not having proper documents, which infuriated the local Shinwari-Afridi transport union and they staged a protest rally at Thakya in Sultankhel area on Wednesday.

Most of these vehicles ply on the Peshawar-Torkhum road and the campaign has forced a majority of the owners to take the vehicles off roads. The vehicles were impounded in Landi Kotal and Jamrud tehsils.

The transporters’ union representatives insisted that the impounded vehicles were registered with the political administration and their seizure was unlawful. They claimed that there was no restriction on the movement of such vehicles in other tribal areas.

They threatened to block the Peshawar-Torkhum highway if checking of their vehicles was not stopped forthwith.

The transporters’ assertion was also confirmed by an official in Landi Kotal who said that a list of registered vehicles was already provided to the officials of the Frontier Constabulary both in Landi Kotal and Bara tehsils.

He said that they had set Aug 31 as the last date for temporary registration in order to discourage more infiltration of non-registered vehicles from Afghanistan.