DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Two persons, including a religious figure, were killed and another was injured in separate road accidents, police said here on Monday.

An official said Maulana Mahmood-ul-Hassan of Madressah Maarif al-Sharia, Shorkot, sustained injuries when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a car while going to Dera city from Chehkan area.

He was shifted to District Headquarters Teaching Hospital, Dera, wherefrom he was referred to a hospital in Multan, but succumbed to injuries on the way.

Later, funeral prayers of the slain were offered in his native Chehkan area.

Meanwhile, a young motorcyclist, namely Marwan, a resident of Kulachi, was killed after a truck hit him.

The police registered a case against the unknown truck driver.

Separately, the Dera police arrested three drug peddlers in separate actions and recovered over two kilograms of hashish and a gun from their possession, an official said on Monday.

The official said Paharpur police arrested Mohammad Waqar Khan of Laarr area and recovered 1.3 kilograms of hashish from him. The police also arrested Karim Bakhsh, also of Laarr area, and recovered one kilogram of hashish from him.

The police arrested Gulzar Ahmed and seized a gun from him.

HEARING: The Dera bench of the Peshawar High Court will hear PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur’s plea seeking protective bail in the Bhakkar police checkpost firing case on Tuesday (today).

The Bhakkar police had registered a case against the PTI leader and others for creating rumpus at Dajal police checkpost while going to Dera on Sunday night.

Mr Gandapur, who is also the PTI chairman Imran Khan’s chief of security, had approached the PHC seeking a protective bail in the case.

Mr Gandapur and men from his convoy had allegedly attacked the checpost near the Dera-Darya Khan Bridge.

According to a statement issued by Bhakkar police, Mr Gandapur rioted at the checkpost and lost his temper when he was stopped by the police for checking. He also opened fire on the occasion.

It said there were six to seven vehicles in Mr Gandapur’s convoy, who showed resistance when the police stopped them.

The police arrested four armed men along with a pick-up van. However, Mr Gandapur had fled from the scene. The police also recovered unlicensed weapons from them.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2023