KOHAT: The police on Monday arrested 12 proclaimed offenders, nine drug peddlers and three illegally-staying Afghans, and seized arms and drugs from their possession during strategic and snapchecking operations across the Kohat district on Monday.

A statement issued here said that four facilitators of POs and 490 suspects were also rounded up during the crackdown.

The strategic and snap checking operations had been initiated by the Saddar, Headquarters, Lachi, and City circles police on the directives of district police officer Sohail Khalid.

The seizure included four Kalashnikovs, two repeaters, six shotguns, 36 pistols, 1,500 cartridges, 50 chargers, 200 grams of ice and 14kg of hashish.

The POs were wanted in murder and attempts murder cases.

Separately, a large number of passengers had to walk miles to reach Kohat for their onward journey to other districts after public transport vehicles were stopped at the friendship tunnel toll plaza here and returned to Peshawar on Monday.

The vehicles were on way to Kohat, Karak, Hangu and Thall.

The Road Transport Authority secretary and the additional assistant commissioner-I were checking the movement of public transport at the toll plaza to ensure implementation of the ban on inter-district public transport.

Behram, a driver of a public transport vehicle, told Dawn that they could not afford the ban because they worked on daily wages.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2021