KOHAT: The police and food department officials seized a huge quantity of fake international brand beverages in an operation in Gumbat bazaar and arrested the supplier here on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off police inspector Javed Khan along with district food controller Ishfaq Khan raided the Gumbat bazaar on Rawalpindi road and recovered hundreds of bottles of the soft drink which were going to be supplied to shopkeepers.

The police also impounded the van (2082-Peshawar) which had come from Peshawar and held the supplier, identified as Habib, a resident of Tappi. A case has been registered against him in the Gumbat police station.

In a similar action, the police seized over five maunds of gutka and other non-custom paid items from Khairpur-bound bus on the Indus Highway.

A police party stopped a bus (P-1385) which was going from Peshawar to Khairpur, Sindh, and during its search found 320 kilogrammes of gukta, foreign cloth, tires and other non-custom paid items hidden beneath the seats.

The police arrested bus driver Dost Mohammad, a resident of Lakki Marwat, and handed him over to the customs officials along with the material.

REPATRIATION: The phase-wise repatriation of 15,000 temporarily displaced families of Orakzai Agency started with the cooperation of disaster management department and Sarhad Rural Support Programme after remaining away from homes for eight long years.

SRSP representative Wajidullah Khan told this correspondent that mostly the IDPs were lodged in the UN camp in Khwajakhela, Hangu, while others had adopted residence independently in Jarma area of Kohat.

He said that SRSP was providing them six months ration at Ghiljo in Upper Orakzai Agency and in Wam Panra in Lower Orakzai Agency and at Jarma. The disaster management cell was issuing each family an ATM card for getting Rs35,000 as cash grant for their rehabilitation. The SRSP would issue them voluntarily repatriation forms for collection of ration at specified locations.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2016