LANDI KOTAL/PARACHINAR, Sept 2: Three persons, including a peace activist, were injured while two tribesmen were abducted at gunpoint in different incidents in Khyber Agency, officials said.

They said that two brothers sustained injuries when an explosive device, planted beneath a tree, went off in Bazaar-Zakhakhel area on Sunday morning. Both the brothers were working in fields near their house when the device went off.

In Sheen Qamar area of Akkakhel in Bara, unidentified militants attacked a patrolling party of the local peace committee. A volunteer identified as Abdul Hayat received critical bullet injuries in the attack. He was shifted to a hospital in Peshawar.

In Jamrud, masked gunmen abducted two residents of Bakarabad when they were returning from the local market. The kidnapped persons were identified as Haroon and Nouman.

Meanwhile, a garments and grocery store in Peerokhel area was partially damaged when an explosive device of mild intensity, planted near the shop along the road, exploded on the night between Saturday and Sunday.

In Jamrud, Khasadar Force claimed to have seized three kilograms of heroin and arrested three drug peddlers during routine checking at Bhagiyarhi checkpost on the main Peshawar-Torkham Highway.

Meanwhile, Tehrik-i-Mutasereen Khyber Agency (TMKA) has demanded reopening of all business centres in Bara.

TMKA chairman Shah Faisal Afridi said in a statement that the three-year long military operation failed to achieve desired results. He urged security forces and local administration to ease curfew, reopen all business centres and convene a jirga of elders of all the major tribes of Bara to resolve the issue.

The TMKA also called upon provincial and Fata disaster management authorities to arrange for safe and honourable return of all internally displaced families from Bara to their respective areas.

Mr Afridi alleged that Frontier Corps failed to establish peace in Bara. He said that responsibility of maintaining law and order should be handed over to Khasadar Force alongside reinstatement of all suspended khasadars in Bara.

Mr Afridi also demanded of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and Fata additional chief secretary to announce a special package for the people of Bara as they had suffered loses worth millions of rupees during the last three years. In Kurram Agency, militants attacked a village on Sunday and kidnapped five tribesmen, sources said.

They said that a group of armed men besieged a village in Serkhui Darra area and took away five people with them at gunpoint. Officials confirmed the incident and said that investigations had been ordered.

The kidnapped persons were identified as Gul Said, Naseeb Khan, Janat Laiq, Mir Khan and Khatir Gul.

Opinion

Editorial

IMF’s projections
Updated 18 Apr, 2024

IMF’s projections

The problems are well-known and the country is aware of what is needed to stabilise the economy; the challenge is follow-through and implementation.
Hepatitis crisis
18 Apr, 2024

Hepatitis crisis

THE sheer scale of the crisis is staggering. A new WHO report flags Pakistan as the country with the highest number...
Never-ending suffering
18 Apr, 2024

Never-ending suffering

OVER the weekend, the world witnessed an intense spectacle when Iran launched its drone-and-missile barrage against...
Saudi FM’s visit
Updated 17 Apr, 2024

Saudi FM’s visit

The government of Shehbaz Sharif will have to manage a delicate balancing act with Pakistan’s traditional Saudi allies and its Iranian neighbours.
Dharna inquiry
17 Apr, 2024

Dharna inquiry

THE Supreme Court-sanctioned inquiry into the infamous Faizabad dharna of 2017 has turned out to be a damp squib. A...
Future energy
17 Apr, 2024

Future energy

PRIME MINISTER Shehbaz Sharif’s recent directive to the energy sector to curtail Pakistan’s staggering $27bn oil...