LANDI KOTAL, March 11: Fear and panic gripped the Wazir Dhand locality of Jamrud and the adjoining Karkhano market situated in the vicinity of Peshawar after the Lashkar-i-Islam warned of a crackdown on people dealing in contrabands.

Speaking on his illegal FM radio station in Bara, Lashkar-i-Islam leader Mangal Bagh alleged that an organised drug cartel had been patronising illegal trade of alcohol, hashish and fake currency in Wazir Dhand for a long time.

He said his organisation had informed the local administration about the unlawful and “un-Islamic” activities of a particular group in the area and called for action against the group. He warned that the Lashkar-i-Islam would initiate an armed crackdown on the group if the local political administration failed to do so.

“It is criminal and against the teachings of Islam to turn your face the other way when such an unlawful and un-Islamic activity is going on,” he claimed.

He alleged that an influential family of the Janikhel-Kukikhel tribe was harbouring hardcore and wanted criminals in the locality and extorting money from passenger vehicles plying on the Peshawar-Torkhum route at illegal checkpoints.

Mangal Bagh insisted that he wanted to resolve the matter through negotiations and had constituted a jirga of his Shura members to approach the local administration and the group dealing in contrabands and involved in extortion of money. He, however, warned of an attack on the locality if the illegal business was not abandoned immediately.

It is learnt that a large number of shopkeepers dealing in various types of contrabands in the Wazir Dhand market have vacated their shops and kiosks and fled to unknown places in the wake of a possible attack by the Laskhar.

Shopkeepers in the busy Karkhano market twice pulled down their shutters in fear after rumours of a Lashkar attack on the Wazir Dhand market. People also avoided visiting the market because of fear of the attack.

It is learnt that the Janikhel tribesmen have established a number of bunkers in Wazir Dhand and have taken up positions atop their ‘fort-like’ houses to avert any armed attack by the Lashkar-i-Islam.

Hundreds of armed Janikhel-Kukikhel tribesmen had blocked the Peshawar-Torkhum road for 12 hours on March 4 in protest against the killing of their three tribesmen during a kidnapping attempt by the Lashkar-i-Islam on Feb 29.

At least 20 people had been killed when hundreds of armed Lashkar activists attacked their opponents in the Shiekhan village near Bara last week in order to prevent the observance of a ritual at a shrine.

Villagers had also accused the Lashkar men of looting, snatching jewellery from their women and burning their houses and shops.

A delegation of Janikhel elders had called on NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani on Monday and apprised him of the excesses of the Lashkar-i-Islam.