LAKKI MARWAT: Three persons were shot dead and two others injured in separate incidents in Bannu district on Wednesday.

Police officials said Noor Wali, 48, was killed over a land dispute in Kotka Mir Azam Baistkhel locality.

They said the body was shifted to the district headquarters hospital for autopsy.

The officials said Samiullah shot dead Jalal Khan, 20, over a petty dispute in Mosamkhel Daudshah area.

The body was handed over to relatives after postmortem in the DHQ hospital.

Separately, Samtar Ali was murdered while Jamroz Khan and Zarniaz Khan were wounded when their rivals, including Sufyan, Bilal, Arif and Riaz, attacked them in Jehenzeb town.

The body and the injured were taken to the DHQ hospital. Police registered separate cases and began investigations.

POPPY DESTROYED: The police on Wednesday destroyed poppy crop in Walai Shagai area of Lakki Marwat district.

An official said after receiving the information the district police officer had tasked the Naurang circle DSP Murad Khan with destroying the crop.

A police contingent assisted by the commandos of Elite Force and Quick Response Force destroyed the crop cultivated over 30 kanals of land.

The official said the operation was carried out with the support of the area elders.

Separately, activists of Jamiat Talaba-i-Islam, a student wing of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, held a demonstration in front of the Lakki Marwat Press Club on Wednesday against the government’s decision to close educational institutions.

JTI district president Hafizullah led the protesters, who were carrying placards inscribed with slogans condemning the closure of schools.

They said frequent closure of schools and colleges had caused a great loss to the students, and asked the government to reopen the educational institutions in the best interests of students. They also asked the government to stop registration of seminaries and take steps for provision of due rights to the students of the tribal districts and Balochistan.

SASTA BAZAARS: The administrations of the Lakki Marwat and Bannu have decided to set up sasta bazaars in different towns of both the districts to provide subsidised food items to people in Ramazan.

The decisions to this effect were taken at separate meetings on Wednesday. In Lakki Marwat, a meeting chaired by deputy commissioner Abdul Haseeb decided to set up sasta bazaars in Lakki and Naurang bazaars.

Speaking at a meeting, Bannu deputy commissioner Mohammad Zubair Niazi directed to set up sasta bazaars in all the tehsils of the district with strict adherence to the standard operating procedures.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2021