KOHAT: The police foiled two attempts of smuggling hashish from Orakzai district to Kohat by arresting four traffickers here on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of the city police station stopped three people on the Kohat Toi (stream) Bridge near Shahpur, and upon search, found three kilogrammes of hashish and a pistol from them. The smugglers were identified as Tassawar Iqbal hailing from Karak, Freed and Hafeez of Orakzai, according to a statement.

Separately, Ustarzai police seized three kilogrammes of hashish and a pistol from a man in Lando Mela area. The trafficker was identified as Ajmer Ali of Orakzai district.

RECYCLING PLANT: The garbage recycling plant established at a cost of Rs80 million in Muhammadzai area in 2015 could not be made functional till date due to a lack of funds for purchasing equipment, residents complained on Sunday.

They asked district development advisory committee chairman Ziaullah Bangash, who had approved the project in 2014 from oil and gas royalty funds, to make the plant functional without delay. They said the first phase of the plant was completed at a cost of Rs80 million, and was awaiting another Rs100 million for purchase of machinery to make it operational.

Meanwhile, official sources said there were different contractors of the project, and some of them had taken away the main door of the building, windows and other equipment due to differences over distribution of profit. They said the plant had the capacity to recycle 500 tonnes of garbage, adding it had also been proposed to upgrade the recycling plant to produce electricity.

GOVT’S OUSTER WELCOMED: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s provincial additional secretary information Saadullah Khattak has congratulated the people over the ouster of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government at the centre.

Talking to journalists on Sunday, he said the party would avenge the injustices done to the country in general and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular during the PTI’s rule.

He said the party would work hard to reverse the unbearable price hike and lawlessness in the country. He said the PTI befooled the people in the name of Madina state, justice and accountability.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2022