LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Nov 2: Bara political authorities on Monday arrested 20 persons, 10 each from two rival groups, after their failure to reach an agreement over the removal of an illegal checkpost in the Qambarkhel area.

The two groups, Amr Bil Maroof wa Nahi Anil Munkir, a religious organization and Sheikhmalkhels were locked in a series of jirgas at the Political Agent Khyber House for the last three weeks to find a solution to the dispute over the establishment or removal of an illegal checkpost at Dagari in Sheikhmalkhel area.

The checkpost at Dagari is in the control of the Sheikhmalkhel tribe and they charge Rs10,000 from every truck loaded with smuggled goods coming from Afghanistan on various unfrequented routes. The daily income at the post was estimated to be around one million as about 100 trucks would pass through the check post.

The smuggled goods are later dumped at about 200 godowns in Bara. These goods comprising foreign made fabrics, auto parts, old and new electronic items and then secretly transported to various parts of the country by an organized group of carriers.

The Shiekhmalkhels argue that income from the check post was distributed equally among the three sub tribes of Qambarkhels. But the religious organization alleged that the money obtained from the trucks in fact goes only to some influential people of Sheikhmalkhel tribe and a substantial amount also goes to the officials of political administration.

The religious organization had earlier abolished all such check posts in the area soon after its coming into being early this year. In the beginning there were three check posts separately established by Wandgais, Dray Plar and Shiekhmalkhels. Later the Qambarkhel tribe convinced the organization to allow functioning of one check post on the pretext that income would equally be distributed among the three sub tribes.

But the issue remained unresolved and the two groups had several armed clashes during the last four months which resulted in killing of 10 people.

A number of houses and a mosques were also badly damaged during heavy shelling at each other's position by the rival groups in July and August this year.

The political administration for the last one month or so was trying to help resolve the issue and had earlier negotiated a ceasefire between the two groups. But on Monday the administration had arrested 10 members from each group when they refused to accept a compromise formula presented by the authorities.

The arrested men were shifted to Landi Kotal and Jamrud prisons.

Head of the religious organization Haji Namdar insisted that his organization would not accept anything except the abolition of illegal checkpost which he said had earned a bad name for the residents of the area.

A Sheikhmalkhel elder Zareef Khan however insisted they would continue with collection of octroi at the checkpost and would not bow to government pressure.