KOHAT: Elders of Ustarzai Payan locality here have demanded action against an influential group of land mafia, whose members have been booked in two murder FIRs, but are roaming freely.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the elders led Saif Ali Khan and Izhar Shahid Advocate alleged the group had strong backing of senior police officials and a political personality.

They said the land grabbers had burnt a house, demolished a mosque and were not allowing Category D status for the area’s hospital claiming it their property.

The elders alleged Taj Ali, Malik Inayat, and Jan Ali along with other people had barged into the house of Murad Ali on September 23, and harassed the women and children. They said the land grabbers shot dead Murad while leaving the house, and had also killed another person.

The elders regretted that when they asked SHO Iqbal Khan as why the police were not arresting the culprits he replied that he had a lot of pressure from above.

They demanded of the chief minister to order an inquiry to unmask the supporters of the land mafia in the police.

AUDIO LEAK: A purported audio of district development committee advisory chairman, MPA Ziaullah Khan Bangash has been leaked in which he is asking, probably a gangster, to fix two journalists involved in his character assassination.

In the audio released on Tuesday night, Mr Bangash also names two journalists as Kareem Bangash and Rasheed Khan, associated with two private TV channels.

In response, the unidentified man, who seems to be the gangster, says, he will teach them a lesson so they will never speak against him (the lawmaker).

Meanwhile, the media bodies warned the lawmaker that if any harm was caused to the journalists he would be held responsible for it.

KILLER ARRESTED: The cantonment police arrested a man on Wednesday for killing his brother and two sisters over an honour-related incident occurred in Naway Kallay area on Saturday last.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2022