KOHAT: A joint team of anti-smuggling squad of customs, Kohat, and the police seized 450 cartons of non-custom paid cigarettes worth Rs150 million from two trucks going from North Waziristan tribal district to Thall tehsil of Hangu district on Monday.

The operation was supervised by the customs collector, DI Khan, at the Thall tehsil checkpost. The cigarettes included famous NCP foreign brands, whose demand has increased after the price of local products surged to Rs500 per packet.

A statement issued here said these cigarettes were to be sold in the markets of Kohat and Hangu.

Meanwhile, caretaker minister for jails Justice retired Ms Irshad Qaiser on Monday visited the district jail, where she was informed by the inmates that they were facing excessive power loadshedding.

She also inspected the skills development centre and women barracks, and asked the inmates about their problems. The prisoners complained about long hours of electricity outages.

Jail superintendent Abdul Bari informed the minister that about Rs20 million were required to either have a separate feeder or put the facility on solar power.

The minister asked the superintendent to convert the prison into a rehabilitation centre. She also planted a sapling in the jail’s courtyard.

The jail superintendent also presented Ms Qaiser a souvenir.

Separately, a local anglers’ club has demanded of the fisheries department to give angling the status of a sport and lift the ban on issuance of licences/permits for the hobby.

Speaking at a meeting held at the Tanda Lake, the anglers said angling had been recognised as a sport in Punjab, but not in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The participants stressed the need for constitution of fishing associations at the district and divisional levels. Malik Dilawar Khan Awan, a famous angler, who had been invited as a special guest, assured the fisheries department that if given licences they would abide by the rules and laws.

Meanwhile, the cantonment police foiled an attempt to smuggle parts of an anti-aircraft gun packed in two gunny bags from Kurram to Darra Adamkhel tribal subdivision by arresting two accused on Monday.

The seizure was made at the Kaghzai checkpost here.

SHO Islamuddin said the policemen stopped a pickup van, and upon opening two bags, they recovered spare parts of anti-aircraft gun. He identified the accused as Ghulam and Abdur Rauf, residents of Darra.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2023