MANSEHRA: The district administration has warned treasure hunters against digging up old graves and tombs for antiquities across Mansehra.

“It has been brought to my notice that some unscrupulous elements in search of antiquities dig out graves and tombs and other such places at night, which requires immediate measures to stop this unlawful act.

“A complete ban has been put in place on the digging of graves and tombs within the district’s jurisdictions except for the burial and exhumation of bodies by the order of the court of law,” read an order issued by deputy commissioner Dr Qasim Ali Khan here on Monday.

The order said the ban violators would be taken to justice under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Written copies of the order will be affixed at prominent places and boards of the offices of the tehsil municipal administration and all police stations across the district.

When contacted, Dr Qasim said he had written to the district police officer to crack down on the illegal grave excavations across the district.

He said two incidents of old grave diggings were recently reported in Baffa and Pulrah areas but the local police didn’t know about it, so action couldn’t be taken against the culprits.

The DC said he had asked the DPO to register cases against culprits under Section 297 of Pakistan Penal Code.

KILLED: A trader was killed in his Barbra Road shop here on Monday.

Mohammad Naseer was present in his cloth shop when a motorcyclist showed up, opened fire at him causing serious injuries, and fled.

The traders shifted the injured to the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead due to the excessive bleeding.

The traders later observed a token shutter-down strike seeking their protection.

Meanwhile, a man went missing three days after his wedding in Shamdara area of Oghi tehsil. The police said Mushtaq Ahmad left home for a local mosque in the early hours of Monday to offer Fajr prayer but didn’t return.

They said they had begun search for the man after the registration of an FIR.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2021