KOHAT: A large number of people blocked the Kohat-Rawalpindi Road here on Tuesday against the murder of a truck driver.

The blockade caused long queues of vehicles forming on the road.

The protesters chanted slogans against the police for their failure to arrest the killers of the driver murdered on Monday. They said the victim’s body remained lying on the road the whole Monday night.

Ajmal Khan, an elder leading the protest, told Dawn that had the police patrol present in the area the killers would have been arrested.

He said unknown persons stuck the deceased with repeated strikes of daggers.

The villagers had found the body of Anwar Khan, a resident of Chor Lakki area, in Gul Hassan Banda early on Tuesday morning. The protesters lifted the road blockade after five hours following assurance by DSP Saddar circle Bashir Dad that the killers would be arrested soon.

SMART LOCKDOWN: The district administration imposed smart lockdown in Lachi tehsil for one week due to rising Covid-19 cases on Tuesday.

A statement issued from the office of deputy commissioner Abdur Rehman said additional deputy commissioner Bashir Ahmed had been directed to hold meetings with the officials of police, traffic wardens, and tehsil municipal administration to implement the lockdown till June 7.

All shops and public transport barring the outlets dealing in essential items would remain shut.

The people were urged to wear masks, wash hands regularly and keep social distancing to keep the pandemic at bay.

PPP LEADERS CRITICISED: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Amjid Afridi and Senator Shamim Afridi for allegedly neglecting the people of Siyab area in jobs, where oil and gas reserves have been discovered.

PTI local leader Sher Zaman also alleged that the contract of a road project was given to a contractor from Balochistan who had the backing of the MPA.

“Now the contractor has been served with three notices by the deputy commissioner but he is not starting work on the project,” he added.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2021