SWABI, Feb 29: The Swabi police have registered an FIR against 48 poppy cultivators, while an operation to destroy poppy crops in the mountainous Gadoon belt has been continued for the last four days.

Police sources told Dawn here on Sunday that those who would voluntarily destroy the crop would not be arrested. Most of the people, the sources said, voluntarily took part in the operation and the police had also given top priority to amicable settlement.

The operation, the sources said, might be completed on Tuesday but it depends on the accomplishment of the objectives. The police and Patwaris have been taking part in the operation. "Last year the government hired labourers for the destruction of the crop but in the current operation the police are doing the job themselves", said a policeman who participated in the operation.

The earlier operation against the poppy was launched in January and at the end of the operation it was declared that they had destroyed poppy cultivated over 1100 kanals and the mission had been completed but it seems that something was wrong somewhere and on the directive of the provincial government the operation was re-launched.

At that time it was also claimed that the poppy growers had started the destruction of crop voluntarily and the local police officials and staff only supervised the operation.

When asked that what about the previous operation and claim of poppy destruction the sources said actually after the first operation the rain fell which resulted in protection of the crop and it re-blossomed and it was necessary to move for another operation.

Even Sunday holiday was not observed and the operation was in full swing across the Gadoon belt and Naranji areas, sources said. The sources said that the growers had cultivated the crop in some accessable areas but the agencies had provided complete data of the cultivated areas and each localities had been mentioned along with the growing poppy land.

When asked that how much area so far covered the sources said that the exact figures would be issued at the end of operation but it seems that more then 600 kanal poppy had been destroyed so far.

The Gadoon police have registered an FIR against Gul Salim Shah, Manhar Zaman, Wali Bahadar, Mohammad Khan, Musa Khan, Saifur Rehman, Sahib Shah, Muqadar Shah, Sher Rehman, Gulab Shah, Qismat Khan, Ghazi Khan, Per Dad, Hayat Mir, Tur Khan, Khurshid Khan, Taj Bahadar, Sartaj, Jamroz Khan, Baz Mohammad, Mir Ajab Khan, Mazahir Shah, Abid Shah, Fazal Qadar, Jalandar Khan, Gul Rekhan, Sher Mohammad, Ali Bahadar, Said Nur, Mohammad Anwar, Gul Rehman, Abdur Rehman, Fazal Khaliq, Saeed Khan, Umer Khan, Jamal Din, Sher Rehman and Sabaz Ali.