DERA GHAZI KHAN, June 19: A majority of tribal leaders in Kher, Fort Munro, are of the view that the June 16 blast at a power-supply tower was activity of some local miscreants and there were no political reasons behind the act.

A majority of the tribesmen belonging to sub-clans of Leghari tribe, residing in Fort Munro and Kher, including Bajrani, Hadiyani, Shahwani, Waleedani, Aliani and Zanglani, were of the opinion that no outsider could do such an act without the consent of the local influential people. They said the local people were loyal to the government.

Sources said that a couple of days before the blast some men of the Zanglani sub-clan of Leghari tribe had blocked the interprovincial road and tried to siege the installation of a grid station by making the linemen hostage for at least four hours to ‘protest’ against Wapda officials for removing the hooks (Kundas) being used for power theft.

A former chairman of Kher union council, Aslam Baluch, commenting on the incident said such acts were not possible without consent and help of local influential people.

Chief of Shahwani sub-clan of Leghari tribe Wadera Ghumam Mohammed was of the opinion that the culprits were from among local sub-clans of Leghari tribe and the blast episode had nothing to do with any so-called movement for liberation of Balochistan. He claimed that the movement had no following in the area. He termed the act an irresponsible one.

Meanwhile, district nazim Jamal Leghari reportedly said that it was a terrorist activity and the Border Military Police had failed to check it. He claimed that he himself informed the administration about the incident.

Sources said the type of the bomb used in the recent blast in Kher was totally different from those devices used earlier in five different sabotage activities in the settled area of Dera Ghazi Khan.

BMP Risaldar Waqar Ahmed Khan Qaisrani told Dawn that two youths of Zanglani sub-clan, Mohammed Ayube and Ali Baig, were taken into custody for interrogation, and a case had been registered under section 435, 427. The accused were on remand granted by the court and more arrests were expected, he added.