KOHAT: The police on Tuesday foiled an attempt to smuggle hashish from Orakzai tribal district to Kohat through a mountainous terrain by arresting two smugglers and seizing contraband from them.

Officials said a team led by DSP headquarters Yousuf Jan and SHO Ustarzai police station Jabir Khan had erected a blockade on the Marai border, where they signalled two persons to stop, but they started running away. However, they were caught after a little chase.

The officials said the police during checking of the bag the two men were carrying found nine kilogrammes of hashish.

Later, an FIR was registered against the carriers, identified as Syed Afzal Shah and Syed Haneef.

COAL MINE DISPUTE: President of Muhammadzai tribe Azmat Khan has warned the Bezote tribe of Orakzai district against mining coal and leasing out mines to contractors in an ‘illegally-occupied’ piece of land.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, he alleged the Bezote tribesmen had also constructed warehouses where they dumped hashish for smuggling it to Kohat at night. He asked the administration to raze them.

Flanked by other tribal elders, he said the cattle of Muhammadzai tribe were seized by Bezote tribesmen when they strayed into the occupied area.

He lamented that the Bezote tribesmen did not accept any accord or sit with them to sort out the issue once and for all.

He claimed the Muhammadzai tribe had given great sacrifices in flushing out militants from the area, but alleged the Bezote tribe protected outlaws.

He regretted the Orakzai and Kohat administrations had been promising them a permanent solution to the land dispute, but to no avail.

SALES TAX: Chairman of All Businessmen Alliance, Kohat, an umbrella of various traders’ unions, Ameer Khan Afridi on Tuesday demanded an end to exorbitant general sales tax levied on various items.

He made the demand while chairing a meeting of the bazaar unions held here.

He also expressed concern over eight years of delay in the construction of a flyover between Kutchery Chowk to PAF Cinema to ease traffic on the main artery.

He said the vehicles moved bumper to bumper on the main artery troubling the motorists.

He said the traffic police should ban the entry of rickshaws, handcarts and heavy vehicles to the main bazaar.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2023