KHYBER: Police arrested at least 41 protesting tribesmen and dismantled their camp established at the under-construction customs terminal in Torkham on Tuesday over alleged violation of promises made with them.

Police said that the action was taken after some Khugakhel tribesmen forcibly stopped construction of the terminal and established a protest camp at the site to press the government for the acceptance of their demands.

They said that all the arrested tribesmen were shifted to Landi Kotal sub-jail as they had taken law into their hands.

Earlier, scores of Khugakhel tribesmen forcibly stopped construction work on customs terminal at Torkham on Tuesday and also established a protest camp at the site of the under-construction terminal.

Protesters accuse NLC, FBR of violating accord; officials reject allegations

Khugakhel representatives Mufti Ejaz, Barkat Khan, Mirajuddin and Abdur Raziq led the protest, which started from Landi Kotal Bazaar and converged at the under-construction terminal.

Addressing the protesters, Mufti Ejaz said that they were forced to take the extreme step of setting up the protest camp and stopping the work after Federal Board of Revenue, National Logistic Cell (NLC) and commandant of Khyber Rifles failed to uphold their verbal commitment of signing an agreement about accepting their legitimate demands.

He said that a nine-member Khugakhel negotiating team held detailed talks with officials of FBR and NLC with the commandant of Khyber Rifles acting as a guarantor about four months ago about the sale of their additional land occupied by NLC for constructing the terminal, increase in the share of profit from the terminal and separate quota for Khugakhel youth in employment at the terminal.

Mirajuddin said on the occasion that they reminded to the officials for an umpteenth time the pledges made with them regarding signing of a written agreement about acceptance of their demands but all their reminders fell on deaf ears.

He accused NLC officials of backtracking on their promises to enhance their share in the profit and refrain from further illegal occupation of their joint property. He said that their peaceful protest would continue till acceptance of demands.

Reacting to the accusation, the NLC officials told this scribe that NLC being a border terminal operator had long been abiding by the agreement reached between the government and representatives of Khugakhel tribe in letter and spirit.

“Nine elders of the said tribe are signatory to the agreement concluded on November 18, 2016 and according to it NLC has provided 70 per cent share to Khugakhel in overall jobs,” they said.

They said that there was not a single instance of violation of the agreement. “The project of constructing a state-of-the-art Integrated Transit Trade Management System is of immense national interest. Its direct beneficiary will be local tribes in the shape of increased socio-economic activities. Unfortunately, some elements are bent upon to create hurdles to its execution on one pretext or other,” said the officials.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2021