KOHAT: District police officers of Kohat and Orakzai have finalised a plan to go after drug smugglers and criminals hiding in the mountains on the border between the two districts.

A statement issued here on Friday said DPO Kohat Shafiullah Gandapur and DPO Orakzai Nazeer Khan met in Orakzai and agreed to compile data of criminal gangs, land and drug mafias on the basis of intelligence reports. They said strict action was required against hashish dealers in Orakzai.

Meanwhile, chairing a meeting here, Kohat DPO Shafiullah Gandapur ordered crackdown on loan sharks, land grabbers, drug mafias and extortionists.

BAN: District police officer Shafiullah Gandapur banned dance parties and roaming of transgender individuals in bazaars on Friday after they allegedly broke into the city police station on Thursday protesting against a raid on their residence on Wednesday night.

The raid was carried out on a tip-off that a criminal was hiding in a hujra. The transgender persons also alleged baton charge by the personnel, injuring one of their colleagues.

A police statement said transgender persons provided shelter to criminals and proclaimed offenders.

Social circles welcomed the ban and said it was necessary to ‘protect’ the moral character of youth.

Grand business alliance chairman Haji Abid said the ban would help control criminal activities in the district.

Sons of Kohat chairman Shah Mehmood said the ‘attack’ on the police station was condemnable.

Meanwhile, the police arrested two proclaimed offenders, seven drug and arms dealers during operations in Junglekhel, KDA and Saddar areas.

They also seized four stolen motorcycles, two Kalashnikovs, three pistols and five kilogrammes of hashish.

Also, the Jarma police foiled an attempt to smuggle hashish to the southern districts by arresting a man from a passenger van at the Muslimabad checkpost on Friday.

SHO Jarma Saifullah Khan said five kilogrammes hashish was recovered. The drug pusher, Hassan Badshah, belonged to Bannu.

LONG MARCH: Pakistan Teheek-i-Insaf local leaders finalised arrangements for participation in the “Haqeeqi Azadi” march in Rawalpindi today (Saturday) during a meeting held in Gumbat on Friday.

The participants decided that the workers, who did not have their own transport would be accommodated by the party’s district chapter.

Former district nazim Naseem Afridi said workers from Karak, Bannu, Hangu, Orakzai and Kurram would also gather in Kohat for Rawalpindi.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2022