SWABI: Police destroyed poppy crop in different areas of Gadoon Amazai mountainous belt on Thursday, officials said.

They said that poppy crop was expected to start opium production after 20 days, however, police took prompt action to destroy it.

Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate SHO Asif Ali told this scribe that revenue department earlier collected information about growing of the banned crop and the data was given to police for action. He said that farmers were warned and they pledged that they would not cultivate poppy in future.

Leaders of different political parties told Dawn that usually farmers grew poppy in such areas, which could not be approached by police. However, police regularly monitor their activities and register FIRs against them.

They said that Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate was established in 1988 to provide alternative source of livelihood to people and poppy growers were stopped from cultivating the crop.

Meanwhile, police arrested two people for illegal fishing in Tarbela Dam lake in Labadam area.

Officials said that illegal fishing was common in Labadam because reaching there was an uphill task. “Vehicle cannot go there and from Gandaf village, it will take an hour to reach there on foot,” they added.

SHO Asif said that the arrested persons were handed over to fisheries department for further action.

KILLED: Haris Raza,18, was shot dead near Shewa graveyard when he was on way home on Thursday, police said.

Officials in Kalu Khan police station said that the cause of the murder and accused were not known but they started investigation.

Also in the day, two persons were injured as a result of a collision between a motorcycle and a motorcar on Shewa-Asota road on Thursday.

The injured were identified as Noor Mohammad and Ejaz Khan. They were taken to tehsil headquarters hospital for treatment.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2024