UPPER DIR: Twelve passengers were injured when a pickup plunged into a ravine in Seratai area here on Sunday.

Local residents said the vehicle was going to Dir from Doon area. The injured included children and women. The locals shifted the injured to the district headquarters hospital, Upper Dir.

However, three critically injured persons were referred to a hospital in Timergara.

The injured were identified as Mehvish, Baroom, Iqbal, Rozmeena, Khair Bibi, Muzaffar Khan, Gojar Khan, Bacha Hina, Farida, while the identity of three could not be ascertained.

Meanwhile, relatives complained about lack of basic facilities in the DHQ hospital Upper Dir because of which seriously injured persons were shifted to Lower Dir.

Meanwhile, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Malakand Maj-Gen Ali Aamir Awan has vowed that terrorists would not be allowed to reorganise or regroup. He asked the people to keep a vigil on suspected people in their localities.

He was addressing members of village defence committees in Panakot.

Mr Awan also asked the locals to keep watch over Afghan nationals in the area. He said madressahs and mosques were holly places, but some seminaries were supporting terrorists which could not be tolerated.

He said the network of terrorists had been broken.

Gen Awan lauded the role of VDCs in defeating terrorists and playing a vital role in restoring peace in the district. He said the Pak Army respected the sacrifices of volunteers for the sake of country.

The GOC said the locals should get their small arms registered, and said the unregistered weapons would be seized.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2017