KOHAT: The district administration has decided to allot 102 cabins of sasta bazaar on old jail plot to the local people only.

However, no mechanism could be sorted out to discourage Afghans because the local people after getting shops and kiosks gave them on high rent to them.

A meeting in this regard was chaired by assistant commissioner Abdur Rehman at his office on Friday which was attended by tehsildar Mohammad Shoeb, additional assistant commissioner (revenue) Tahir Ali and TMA officials.

Mr Shoeb told this correspondent after the meeting that it was decided not to auction the kiosks because one party would take 10 cabins and give them on rent to Afghan businessmen who had occupied the whole fruit and vegetable business. He said that allotment of state land to refugees was an illegal act.

He claimed that this time facilities of water, electricity and police checkpost would be provided and rent would be kept at the lowest so that the traders could offer discount to the consumers.

He said that the main purpose of Sasta bazaar was to bring all butchers, chicken sellers and fruit and vegetable traders at one place who were scattered in the whole bazaar.

ARRESTED: Police claimed to have arrested scores of drug sellers, including a notorious peddler, on Friday.

City police station SHO Mohammad Ali told mediapersons that following a tip-off a police team raided a den where one Waseem was selling hashish to buyers. He said that six kilogrammes of hashish was seized from the place. A case has been registered against him.

Meanwhile, DSP Raza Khan told mediapersons that they had arrested 10 proclaimed offenders and 113 suspicious people from various parts of the city. The seizure included 16 kilogrammes of hashish, half kg of heroin, three Kalashnikovs, four repeaters, 21 pistols, seven shotguns and three rifles.

OPENING OF SHRINE DEMANDED: Shia devotees have demanded early opening of the shrine of Badshah Mir Anwar Shah Said after its closure for 19 years due to war against terrorism.

They regretted that it was closed in 1999 and left to the ruthless native climate while no repair work was done there. They said that peace had returned to the area several years ago, but the government was not opening it and allowing them to visit it.

A jirga of devotees from Orakzai, Kurram, Hangu and Kohat districts was held at Mitha Khan here on Friday. The elders Syed Mehtab, Syed Shah Naeem and others threatened that if the shrine was not opened within one month they would boycott the coming anti-polio campaign.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2018