KOHAT: An assistant sub-inspector of Special Branch escaped in the heavy presence of police while trying to smuggle a big quantity of weapons while his accomplice from Darra Adamkhel was arrested on the Indus Highway late on Thursday night.

The seized weapons included 25 pistols, five Kalashnikovs, 9,000 cartridges and spare parts of arms.

DSP city Bashir Dad told a press conference that the police stopped a suspicious car during checking at the Kohat tunnel toll plaza and on search found weapons kept in its secret cavities. He said that inter-district smuggler belonging to Darra Adamkhel, Mohammad Ali Zarghunkhel, was arrested. However, ASI Mohammad Khan managed to flee.

He said that the arrested suspect told them about the police ASI during interrogation after which he too was nominated in the FIR and immediately suspended.

Meanwhile, the circle DSPs arrested 33 dealers of ice and other drugs and also recovered weapons and narcotics during operations in parts of the district.

ASI escapes, accomplice held during checking on Indus Highway

A statement issued here on Friday said that about 33 drug peddlers, including three ice smugglers, had been arrested. The peddlers were sent to prison on the court orders. The crackdown was supervised by SP operations Tahir Iqbal.

The drugs included 30 grams of ice, 33kg hashish, one kilogramme heroin and three kilogrammes of opium.

PEOPLE’S PROBLEMS: People of the oil- and gas-rich Lachi tehsil said on Friday that they had been facing problems such as acute water shortage and low gas pressure in their area.

They also complained about non-payment of royalty funds for the underdeveloped KP-81 constituency.

They were speaking at an open session arranged by deputy commissioner Matiullah Khan.

Hundreds of elders, former nazims and councilors gathered from Dar Malak, Plaosai, Warshand, Tarwa Bera, Mandori and other parts at the tehsil headquarters.

Mohammad Alam, Haji Zahir Shah, Syed Badshah and others pointed out that though the oil companies were earning billions from the area’s resources, but the area lacked basic amenities of life.

They said that they had been screaming for provision of drinking water, but instead of resolving the issue hurdles were being created in this regard.

They said that streets and roads were broken, the hospital was without necessary treatment facilities, commodities were scarce at the utility store and drains were blocked.

In response, the deputy commissioner said that some of their problems would be resolved soon while others would take time for preparation of PC-I and funds allocation.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2020