PESHAWAR, Nov 10: Authorities on Monday arrested 35 persons, shut down more than 300 shops and confiscated dozens of vehicles after launching a full-scale crackdown against the Karakhel tribe in the South Waziristan Agency.
The operation was launched by the political authorities in the wake of a jail breaking incident in which 11 of the detained Karakhel tribesmen escaped.
Raids were being conducted by the agency’s Khasadar force for arresting the escaped prisoners.
Political Agent of the South Waziristan Agency Mohammad Azam Khan said that the prisoner were arrested for snatching Rs40,000 from a group of labourers.
Expressing the hope that the escaped prisoners would soon be handed over, he said that a formal talks between political authorities and tribal leaders was in progress.
FARM MANAGEMENT: Field assistants are like frontline soldiers in agriculture extension department. They must be fully- equipped and besides being well-versed in the improved agricultural technologies to confront day-to-day challenges.
Pakistan is an agricultural country and about 70 per cent of the population is living in rural areas and are engaged directly or indirectly in agriculture.
These views were expressed by the speakers at a one-day-long training programme on Monday.
The programme was organized by the Technology Transfer Institute, a representative institute of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council at Tarnab, Peshawar, in collaboration with the Agriculture Extension Department for the field staff of Agriculture Extension, Charsadda district, on Monday.
The main objective of the training was to train the field staff in improved wheat management practices.
Wheat is the country’s leading food grain, occupying the largest harvested area under any single crop.
Arshad Farooq briefed participants about the Technology Transfer Institute’s mandate, highlighting the importance of the training.
Dr Saleem Khan, a wheat scientist, briefed participants about the improved wheat management practices.
He also briefed the field assistant about improved wheat varieties, their cultivation zones and susceptibility to different diseases.
Mian Sirajul Haq District Agriculture Officer also spoke on the occasion and experssed his views regarding farm management.—APP