KOHAT: The people staged a protest inside the Liaquat Memorial Hospital on Wednesday against the plan to close down the kidney dialysis centre where a large number of poor people are being treated free of cost.

The protesters demanded that before closure of the centre the administration should allot an alternative place for it.

The centre’s in-charge showed the people a notification issued by the administration to vacate the building. He said as the Liaquat Memorial Hospital was planned to be razed for construction of a new building the centre also came within the demolishing area which had caused concern among the patients and the people.

He said the kidney centre was established in 2004 for the poor people who could not afford the costly treatment. He said since then up to 32,903 patients had been treated at the centre.

The protesters demanded that the closure of the centre should be postponed till construction of its new building.

MAN HELD WITH WEAPONS: The Shakardarra police foiled on Wednesday an attempt of smuggling weapons and ammunition from gun-manufacturing town of Darra Adamkhel to Mianwali district of Punjab concealed in the seat of a motorcycle and arrested an interprovincial smuggler.

SHO Shakardarra was checking vehicles at Gugor Kandao checkpost when his team stopped a suspicious motorcycle. Upon removal of its seat it was found full of bullets, magazines and guns. The smuggler, Baseer Ahmed, resident of Godi Banda, Kohat, was arrested and shifted to the police station.

The SHO told journalists that the seizure included a 12-bore repeater, a rifle (dismantled to be concealed in the seat), four pistols, six chargers and 1,600 cartridges.

The smuggler confessed to the police that he was taking the weapons and bullets to Mianwali district in Punjab through the border town of Shakardarra.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2019