KOHAT: A large number of women staged a demonstration in front of the deputy commissioner’s office here on Friday against gas loadshedding in the severe cold weather.

The protesters, mostly from Bahadar Colony, chanted slogans against the SNGPL. They said gas supply was suspended at breakfast, lunch and dinner timings, forcing them to order food from hotels.

The women ended their agitation after assistant commissioner Usman Ashraf assured them of rationalising loadshedding schedule by Saturday (today).

SUSPENDED: District police officer Abdur Rauf Qaisrani on Friday suspended eight policemen over links with drug mafia and criminals, and ordered a departmental inquiry against them.

The suspended policemen included lance havaldar Jamshed, constables Ishaq Ali, Raheem Gul, Pervez Ali, Ahmed Raza, Mohammad Tahir, Haider Ali and Fakharuddin.

Meanwhile, the police arrested gang leaders of land and extortionist mafias in a crackdown and sent them to Central Jail Bannu under MPO-3 on Friday. The arrests were made in Junglekhel, Shiekhan, Togh, Tappi, and near the new Tableeghi Markaz, according to a statement.

Separately, a proclaimed offender was among 28 suspects arrested during an operation conducted in KDA town and its outskirts on Friday. The police also seized arms and ammunition from them. SUICIDE: A boy committed suicide by shooting himself dead in Utamankhel area of Lower Orakzai on Thursday.

The Orakzai police quoted the mother of the seventh-grade student, Junaid, as saying he took out a pistol and ran towards the stream. She also ran after him but he killed himself before she could reach him.

She said he had written a letter to a friend a day earlier that he won’t come to school tomorrow (Friday).

CEASEFIRE: A 15-member jirga has announced a weeklong ceasefire between two warring tribes of Darra Adamkhel over coal mine dispute.

Zarghunkhel tehsildar Hafeez Afridi told Dawn that after one week a meeting would be called to resolve the dispute ‘permanently’.

On Wednesday, traffic was suspended on Indus highway due to firing between two sub-clans of Zarghunkhel tribe over distribution of coal profit.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2022