KOHAT: The district administration has set Jan 31 deadline for voluntary return of all illegal weapons, including heavy arms, after which joint targeted operations will be launched to seize them.

This was announced after a meeting of the officials of Pakistan Army, deputy commissioner, district police officer and elders of the bazaar and rural areas representing the cross section of society. The meeting felt that religious leaders should help the government in its initiative to maintain peace in the area.

District police officer Javed Iqbal while confirming the meeting said that the decision to de-weaponise people was taken after recovery of a huge quantity of heavy weapons in area along Orakzai Agency by the Pakistan Army.

He said that they had asked the elders from both the Shia and Sunni sides to persuade the people to surrender the weapons voluntarily so as to collect all arms without harming the Pakhtun culture of privacy of homes.

DPO says decision taken after recovery of heavy weapons

A source privy to an earlier meeting chaired by the commissioner, Kohat division, said on condition of anonymity that the closure of arms factories in Darra Adamkhel also came under discussion.

He said that the commissioner had agreed to take up the issue at the highest level with an option that if their closure was not possible the business which was the only source of livelihood of the artisans should be taken over by the government. He said that in this case the government would issue the factory owners permits for making arms and cartridges for the police.

The deputy commissioner has also conveyed the decision to de-weaponise the area to separate Shia and Sunni jirgas. Sources said that the people had been asked to submit arms in the nearest police station or with the army.

Deputy commissioner, Kohat, Kamal Khattak said that complete peace had returned to the region therefore there was no need of keeping weapons by the tribes and sects. He said that the government would provide protection to the people.

KILLED: Unknown assailants killed a local cable operator here on Wednesday.

The city police said that unknown men shot Farooq Shahid dead near Jhandi station when he was going home.

The police have registered the case on the complaint of his brother, Mohammad Muneer.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2017