SWABI: The police conducted 203 search and strike operations during the last six months under the National Action Plan against suspected terrorists and their facilitators in the Swabi district, arresting 4,208 of them, sources told Dawn here on Friday.

During this period, the sources said the police also killed two militants.

The sources said a total of 349 FIRs were registered against suspects and their facilitators in different police stations.

The sources said from June 1 to July 24, the police conducted a total 76 search and strike operations, arrested 1,177 suspected terrorists, registered 158 FIRs and 163 arms of different categories were seized.

District police officer Najamul Hassain told Dawn that they had targeted both suspected militants and their facilitators.

“We always remain fully alert to foil any attempt by the militants,” he said.

ARREST: Sohail Khan, former Chota Lahor tehsil nazim, who is considered the right hand of former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, was arrested when he was crossing the Jahangira Bridge in a car here the other day.

Mr Sohail is one of the prominent leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in Swabi and remained very active during the protest demonstrations held soon after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on May 9. He was among the protesters, who had blocked the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway for eight hours.

BODY FOUND: The police found the body of an unidentified woman near Dagai area the other day.

SHO Swabi city police station Ajab Durrani said the police collected the body on the information provided by the locals, and shifted it to the District Headquarters Hospital for identification.

The police said the woman was shot from a very close range.

Separately, six tourists, who were trapped in the Indus River, were rescued by Rescue 1122 personnel the other day, officials said.

The tourists had gone to the middle of the river, but in the meantime the Tarbela Dam authorities opened spillways, trapping them there.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2023