Proclaimed offender arrested

LAKKI MARWAT, Dec 1: The police arrested an alleged criminal wanted in the murder case of a retired college teacher during a raid in Naverkhel village on Friday night.

A police party headed by DPO Mohammad Idrees raided a house on a tip-off and arrested a proclaimed offender Mohammad Rashid. The police also arrested the house owner on charges of harbouring wanted criminals. Police said that Rashid and his brother Aqil Khan were involved in the killing of Haji Nadir Khan, a retired college teacher, in Mohallah Hafizabad of Lakki city on Nov 14.—Correspondent

Drug smuggling bid foiled

CHITRAL, Dec 1: The police claimed to have foiled attempts of smuggling huge quantity of hashish and wine to Chitral and arrested two inter-district smugglers hailing from Upper Dir district.

Sub-divisional police officer, Drosh circle, Mohammad Khalid told Dawn hashish weighing 12kg was being ferried to Chitral.

He said another attempt to smuggle locally distilled wine from the Kalash valley of Rumbur to Chitral city through Orghoch hills was foiled in the jurisdiction of Ayun police station. He said interrogation of the culprits would help smash the network of drug smugglers.

He said District Police Officer Abdur Rashid Khan had formulated a strategy to weed out drug pushers and their dens in the district. Mr Khalid said the district police had been mobilised to have a vigilant eye on the activities of drug pushers.—Correspondent

Post office burgled

SWABI, Dec 1: Three masked men barged into a post office in Maini area and snatched Rs200,000 at gunpoint from the officials here on Saturday.

Eyewitnesses said three masked men forced their way into the post office at Naiki Khwidad, a congested locality of Maini union council, at around 1pm and held the staff at gunpoint. They snatched Rs200,000 from the postmaster Saeed Khan and his colleague and escaped the area.

The Topi city police station registered a case and started search for the robbers.

Meanwhile, a student was buried alive when the boundary wall of a government high school collapsed in Pehur area of Topi tehsil on Saturday.

The school staff and students retrieved the body from the debris soon after the incident. The victim was identified as Adil Khan, student of 7th class.—Correspondent

Journalists take to streets

KHAR, Dec 1: The journalists of Bajaur Agency on Saturday staged a rally to protest against the mysterious disappearance of a colleague, Musa Khan Afridi, from Khyber Agency and demanded of the government to take immediate steps for his safe recovery.The rally was organised by the local unit of the Tribal Union of Journalists and Bajaur Press Club. Senior vice president of TUJ Habibullah Khan and others addressed the rally.

The speakers showed concern over the disappearance of Musa Khan Afridi, who went missing from Jamrud a few days ago.

They demanded of the government and the Khyber Agency administration to take steps for the safe recovery of Musa Khan Afridi.—Correspondent  

PPP to give tough time to ANP

MARDAN, Dec 1: PPP provincial president Anwar Saifullah Khan has said his party will give tough time to Awami National Party and religious parties in the upcoming general elections. Addressing a convention of party workers here on Saturday, he said the PPP would rid the people of the so-called Pakhtun leaders.

The convention was attended by PPP leaders, including senior provincial minister Rahimdad Khan, provincial minister Liaqat Shabab, MNA Haji Khanzada Khan, Nawabzada Abdul Qadir Khan and Abdus Samad Khan Toru besides a large number of party workers from different parts of Mardan and other districts.

“We will defeat the ANP and religious parties’ candidates with a record margin,” claimed Mr Anwar Saifullah, who accused the leadership of ANP of looting and shedding blood of innocent Pakhtuns in the name of terrorism.—Correspondent