KOHAT: The police on Monday arrested 76 suspects during the intelligence-based operations, and registered cases against them.

A huge cache of weapons and drugs was also recovered from the accused. The arrested persons included seven Afghan nationals.

The operations were carried out in Jungle Khel, Kaghazai, Muhammadzai, the city, Kalo Khan Banda, Hafizabad, Naway Kalay Bilitang and Afghan refugee camps of Ublan and Ghamkol. The seizure included four Kalashnikovs, five shotguns, three rifles, 13 pistols, 28 chargers, six kilogrammes of hashish and 50 grams of heroin.

Meanwhile, the police arrested two proclaimed offenders wanted by the Kohat and Karak police in murder cases the other day.

The Lachi police arrested Sajjad, who along with his accomplice, Zainullah, already in custody, had killed a young man named Kashif Ali in Kaghazai area.

Mohammad Riaz Shaheed police arrested Noor Sahib for killing a man in Karak. The victim was resident of Miangan Colony, Kohat.

Also in the day, the Jarma police arrested four robbers for depriving an industrialist of Gujranwala of over Rs1 million.

The police stopped a van at Muslimabad checkpost on Indus Highway and arrested four suspected people. They belonged to Hangu. During interrogation they admitted to their crime and handed over the booty to the police.

The police registered a case against them. Later, a court sent them on judicial remand.

TRADERS WANT SHOPS OPENED: Former vice president of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry Haji Rasheed Paracha has demanded of the government to allow local businessmen to open their shops as tribal and Afghan people had been allowed to sell clothes, footwear and toys on pushcarts.

He termed the permission given to the pushcart owners as discrimination against the local business community.

Mr Paracha said hundreds of pushcarts had come out in the bazaars, attracting a lot of customers, which violated the government’s guidelines on social distancing.

He demanded that in the present situation the government should allow the business community to open their shops to earn a decent living for their families during Ramazan.

He said the traders had invested millions of rupees in their businesses which would be spoiled if the lockdown continued.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2020