MINGORA, April 1: Heavy contingents of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in and around the Wari tehsil of Dir Upper to avert any untoward incident in the wake of possible government-farmers clash over the destruction of poppy crop in different areas of the district.

Despite extensive meetings between the elites of the area and government officials in Wari, the entire area remained tense as the farmers had fixed machineguns at the hilltops to repulse the law enforcers in case they tried to destroy poppy.

It was reported that a high-level meeting was held in Wari on Saturday, which was attended by DIG of Malakand Range Tanvirul Haq Sipra, Dir Nazim Sahibzada Tariqullah, Naib Nazim Nisar Khan Wardag, SP Upper Dir Iftikhar Khan, former MPA Najamuddin Khan besides other elites of the area.

It was learnt that in some parts of the district the poppy crop had been destroyed voluntarily by the farmers, but in Nehagdara the people were not ready to do so and were demanding provision of basic facilities like healthcare, communication, electricity, etc. Poppy was reportedly cultivated over an area of 400 acres.

An official in the administration told this correspondent that all arrangements had been finalized to launch a campaign for the destruction of poppy and those opposed to the action would be dealt with strictly.

He said the government would never allow the farmers to grow poppy in any part of the district, saying that all the problems of the area would be solved gradually.