QUETTA, Jan 23: Security forces and tribesmen exchanged fire in the Kahan Town of Kohlu while the Jamhoori Watan Party claimed that two of the rockets fired by paramilitary forces hit Nawab Akbar Bugti’s fort. District officials, however, denied the JWP claim and said no such incident had taken place.

JWP spokesman Agha Shahid Hasan Bugti said a tribesman, Pardin Bugti, was injured after security forces opened fire in Kahan area at about 1 pm. He said no firing had been reported on Sunday.

The spokesman said that personnel of the Frontier Corps fired 15 rockets in the same area in the evening. He said two of the rockets landed inside the fort of Nawab Akbar Bugti but caused no damage.

Agha Shahid told Dawn that security forces impounded on Monday 11 vehicles rented by PPL staff in Sui area. He said drivers of the vehicles were detained, but freed five hours later.

He said that tribesmen did not respond to security forces’ firing.

The DCO of Dera Bugti said the area remained calm and there was no incident of firing in the town.

About the impounding of vehicles, Abdul Samad Lasi said there were a lot of stolen vehicles in the area and law-enforcement agencies had stopped a few vehicles for verification of documents.

Commenting on the visit of a fact-finding team of the MQM to Dera Bugti on Tuesday, the DCO said that MQM leaders had “neither approached the provincial government nor contacted the district administration” about the visit.

He said that there was no restriction on any group or party on visiting the district.

FC sources said that two persons, Fazal Rahim and Azeem, had been arrested from the Kacha Qila area of Dera Bugti. Two pistols and 47 rounds were found in their possession.