KHYBER: The district administration continued its crackdown on illegally established filling stations on Wednesday and sealed 21 more such stations and arrested six persons.

Officials in Bara and Landi Kotal said that they found at least 21 filling stations operating in different localities without registration and selling substandard fuel.

The official raiding parties also checked fuel gauge, rates and quality of fuel being sold at these filling stations and arrested six managers for violating Ogra regulations.

Meanwhile, Fata Qaumi Jirga held its protest meeting in Jamrud on Wednesday in support of their demand for repeal of 25th Amendment and restoration of the previous status of erstwhile tribal areas.

FQJ leaders termed the merger of former Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa unconstitutional and insisted that it was done in haste and against the genuine aspirations of tribal people.

They said that majority of the tribesmen were not happy with the ‘forced’ merger as it further compounded their miseries and multiplied local disputes.

They said that people of merged districts had never demanded extension of Police Act to their region while revenue system was also forcefully imposed on them.

FQJ leaders demanded of the federal government to reverse the merger plan and let the people of tribal areas live their lives in accordance with their time-tested customs and traditions.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2024