PESHAWAR, Dec 20: Farmers in the Ambaar Tehsil of Mohmand Agency have destroyed poppy cultivated over 120 kanals of land during an anti-poppy drive launched by the political administration.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the campaign, Mohmand Agency’s political agent Jamal Nasir expressed the resolve to curb poppy cultivation.

This year, poppy has been cultivated in remote areas of the agency. However, the political administration is holding negotiations with growers to destroy the crop, he said.

The political administration was providing tractors and other equipment to cultivate wheat instead of poppy.

He said if any grower refused to destroy poppy, the political administration would take action against him and stop incentives from being extended to the elders of his tribe.

24 arrested: The administration of the Kurram Agency on Wednesday arrested 24 tribesmen for disturbing the law and order situation in the agency.

Addressing a press briefing here, Assistant Political Agent Mohammad Fakhruddin said the arrested people were wanted by the administration in various criminal cases. They had been arrested in an operation, he claimed.

He told reporters that those arrested would be tried by a jirga that would be constituted within a week. No further arrest would be made. He said the operation had been launched after extensively monitoring the situation.—APP