KHYBER: The federal interior ministry has assigned the responsibility of body search of pedestrians inside the immigration centres at Torkham to the customs department and the Federal Investigation Agency.

A notification issued by the secretary interior on May 9 said the National Logistics Cell had discontinued operational management of pedestrian immigration terminal on May 12.

Officials said as per the newly-assigned responsibilities, the customs department was given the responsibility to handle baggage scanning and body search of passengers, including labourers.

They said FIA would check travel documents of passengers at the entry and exit points.

FIA is already looking after Individual Voluntary Agreement System put in place to check travel documents of Afghans.

However, the NLC would continue to provide administrative, maintenance and technical support to all the stakeholders in overall management of pedestrian immigration terminal.

Meanwhile, unidentified men abducted the former president of Bara Press Club here on Friday evening. Press club general secretary Saqib Afridi told Dawn that Khadim Afridi was abducted minutes after he left the press club in the evening.

He said Khadim Afridi was going home in his car when uniformed persons forcibly dislodged him from his car and took him away in a pick-up.

Reason behind his abduction could not be known immediately.

Journalists in Khyber threatened to hold a protest demonstration on Saturday (today) if their abducted colleague was not recovered forthwith.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2022