KOHAT: The new prison in Hangu district, which had been built a decade ago, is yet to be made functional due to the authorities’ failure to deploy the required number of law enforcers there.

Another reason for not making the prison functional is that the region is infested with militants of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, who in the past had struck prisons and got their men freed from there, superintendent of Hangu jail Mohammad Tahir Khattak told Dawn on Friday.

He said that the inspector general of police prisons was not willing to house prisoners there before the required number of personnel were deployed there.

He also said district police officer Asif Bhadar had refused to provide the personnel of Frontier Constabulary, Frontier Reserve Police, the Elite Force, and lady police for the jail, citing shortage of manpower.

Mr Khattak said the jail had the capacity to house 600 prisoners, including 40 women and as many juveniles.

TRAINING: Sixty-five women completed three-month courses in various disciplines from the Skills Training Vocational Centre, Lachi, on Tuesday. The training programme was organised by the Kohat Division Development Project (KDDP).

Assistant commissioner, Lachi, Khola Tariq was the chief guest at the certificate-distribution function. Social welfare officer Amjid Afridi and coordinator KDDP Zahir Toru were also present.

The women completed courses in computer, information technology, skincare, beautification, and advanced sewing. They were awarded certificates and stipends.

FOILED: The Jarma police foiled an arms smuggling bid by arresting a member of the inter-provincial gang during checking of vehicles at zero point on the Indus Highway on Friday.

The arms were being smuggled to Sindh from the gun-manufacturing town of Darra Adamkhel.

SHO Saifullah told reporters they stopped a Karachi-bound bus, and during checking, seized a 12-bore repeater, four chargers, a pistol and hundreds of cartridges from one Shah Nawaz Mehr.

SURVEY: The elders of Orakzai tribal district on Friday demanded a survey of their houses and bazaars, which were either damaged or destroyed during the operations against militancy, so they could get proper compensation.

They said these houses and bazaars were left out during the earlier survey.

The issue was raised at a meeting held at the Kalaya Jirga Hall in Lower Orakzai presided over by Kohat division commissioner Syed Mohammad Ali Shah.

The deputy commissioner, the commandant of Orakzai Scouts and elders were also in attendance. The affected tribesmen regretted they had not been compensated even after a decade. They said they couldn’t rebuild their houses and shops without government help.

The tribesmen also complained about excessive electricity loadshedding.

The commissioner ordered the relevant quarters to conduct the survey and submit a detailed report about the estimate of losses.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2023