KOHAT: The recently-formed narcotics eradication team (NET) on Friday arrested 36 smugglers and recovered big quantities of hashish and ice from them.

The accused were presented in courts which sent them on judicial remand, according to a statement issued from the district police officer.

The information-based operations were carried out in the jurisdictions of Jungle Khel, City, Cantonment, Ustarzai, Jarma, Gumbat, Bilitang, Shakardarra, and Riaz Mohammad Shaheed police stations.

District police officer Sohail Khalid said the NET had been constituted on the directives of Inspector

General of Police Moazzam Ja Ansari, adding noose was being tightened against the drug traffickers to achieve the goal of drug-free Kohat.

He said the seizure included 39 kilogrammes of hashish, two kilogrammes of ice, half a kilogramme of heroin and nine bottles of liquor.

In another development, deputy commissioner Mohammad Roshan on Friday launched the monsoon tree plantation campaign by planting a sapling on the premises of the government comprehensive school.

Divisional forest officer Mazhar Iqbal, sub-divisional forest officer Shah Fahad, executive district officer, education, Abdul Salam Marwat, students and civil society activists were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, the deputy commissioner said the Billion Tree Tsunami project of the government had been recognised globally.

He stressed that it was responsibility of people to pass on a better environment to the coming generations.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2021