LAKKI MARWAT: The Bannu division administration has decided to set up four checkposts in the North Waziristan tribal district to prevent smuggling of food and other items to Afghanistan.

A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting held in Bannu on Wednesday with divisional commissioner Parweiz Sabatkhel in the chair.

Noted among the other participants were regional police officer Syed Ashfaq Anwar, North Waziristan deputy commissioner Rehan Gul Khattak and DPO Salim Riaz, military authorities and officials of food and agriculture departments. The meeting discussed matters pertaining to curbing smuggling of essential commodities to Afghanistan in the light of instructions issued by the federal government and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary.

It underlined the need to tighten the cross-border checking mechanism and launch a crackdown on smugglers. The meeting decided to set up checkposts in Ghulam Khan, Shiva, Shandoori Razmak and Khajoori areas of the tribal district.

Mr Sabatkhel said officials of the district administration, police and food and agriculture departments would be deployed at the checkposts to control smuggling of wheat, flour, sugar and fertilisers to the neighbouring country.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2023