KARAK: Four people, including two clerics, were arrested and sent to jail for refusing to get polio vaccine administered to their children in Takht-i-Nusrati and Karak tehsils here on Saturday.

Sources said that assistant commissioner, Karak, Ataul Munam took action against three parents identified as Maulana Waheed Murad, Khaliq Noor and Mir Kalam Shah, all residents of Surdag, and Maulana Ishaq, a resident of Takht-i-Nusarti, for refusing to get polio vaccine administered to their children.

The administration of the two tehsils registered cases against the parents and has sent them to DI Khan prison under Section 3 MPO. It resolved that action would be taken against all those who would refuse to give polio drops to their children.

PROTEST DEMO: People of Banda Daud Shah tehsil on Saturday blocked the Karak-Bannu road and demanded arrest of the police personnel who allegedly opened fire and left four people injured.

The residents, led by district councillors Rafi Khattak and Inayatullah, marched to Karak-Bannu road and blocked it to traffic for quite some time. The speakers claimed that police signaled the four young men on a motorcycle in Darshikhel area to stop, but they instead raced away.

They said that the police allegedly opened fire on them for not stopping and as a result all the four sustained injuries. They were taken to a local health centre where their condition was stable.

The protesters demanded arrest of the police officials involved in the incident. Later, DSP Banda Daud Shah assured the elders that action would be taken against the police personnel. He also held negotiations with the local bodies’ representatives at Khuram police station and told them that an inquiry had already been ordered into the incident.

COMMUNITY POLICING: District police officer Mohammad Javed Khan on Saturday asked the DSPs and SHOs to form public liaison councils on the police station level to curb crimes through community policing in the area.

He said that the councils would be established to get help of the local government representatives for controlling crimes with the support of masses.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2015