KOHAT: The police on Tuesday arrested 27 shopkeepers for violating the lockdown. These traders had opened footwear, furniture, garments, toys, batteries and tailoring shops despite ban, and caused great rush of people outside their outlets.

They were arrested from Lachi, the city and other parts.

Meanwhile, the police arrested 10 shopkeepers for selling kites and recovered a large number of kites and bundles of metal wire in the city, Jungle Khel, cantonment and KDA bazaars. District police officer Mansoor Aman had directed the officials to launch crackdown on the kite sellers as they flouted a ban.

DRUG PUSHER ARRESTED: The police arrested an inter-district drug trafficker from Bannu Bypass Road and seized a large quantity of contraband from him on Tuesday.

The police signalled a motorcyclist to stop, but he sped away. Later, he was overpowered near Kalo Banda. Seven kilogrammes of hashish was recovered from the man, Safeer Khan of Shiekhan.

Later, the police recovered five kilogrammes of hashish, two kilogrammes of heroin, 60 bottles of liquor and weapons from his house.

Meanwhile, DPO Mansoor Aman has directed the subordinate officials to ensure that accused carried no symptoms of Covid-19 before being sent to the lock-ups.

In a statement, he said the lock-ups, offices and police stations should be regularly sprayed and the policemen should wash their hands with soap and sanitisers. The policemen should keep a distance of three feet from the accused and wear masks and gloves.

CONVENTION: The participants of an Ulema convention on Tuesday rejected the government’s announcement to restrict Taraveeh prayers during Ramazan.

The convention held at Shiekhan was attended among others by Mufti Shahidullah, Maulana Mohammad Abbas, Maulana Pir Mohammad Abbas and others.

They said it was time to seek forgiveness of Allah from mosques and seminaries instead of closing them down to worshippers. They said they would abide by the rules laid down by the government in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

They said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was negotiating with the Auqaf department to limit the Taraveeh gatherings, which was not acceptable to them.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2020