KOHAT/TIMERGARA: The security forces on Friday seized a big cache of arms being smuggled from Darra Adamkhel to down country through Peshawar and arrested the alleged smuggler.

Sources said that one Luqman son of Rab Nawaz belonging to Sheraki tribe was also arrested after the security forces recovered 123 small machine guns, 254 magazines and 300 chargers of 30-bore pistol from his van at Spina Thana.

The security forces got suspicious about the vehicle number (B- 7497) whose tyres were compressed due to the burden of arms and was stopped for checking. The smuggler had hidden the arms in secret cavities made in the vehicle.

Tribesman held during checking by security forces

He was being interrogated by the forces and soon he would be handed over to the police and presented in a court of law.

The security forces have intensified the campaign against transportation of illegal weapons from Darra Adamkhel factories to other parts of the country.

In Timergara, Dir Task Force on Friday claimed to have recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition during an intelligence-based operation at Ashurgai village of Maidan.

Sources privy to the development told mediapersons that the arms and ammunition were hidden in the ground by terrorists. The arms include rocket shells, hand grenades, cartridges of different bores and explosives, sources said.

Most of the Maidan area in Lower Dir was captured by militants in 2009. The Pakistan Army launched operation in April 2009 after which majority of the militants were either arrested or they left the area and took shelter in Afghanistan, the sources said. They said that the fleeing militants hid a large number of weapons and explosives in the ground.

Also in the day, scores of officials of the Special Police held a protest demonstration in Balambat for release of their salaries for the last three months.

The protesting police officials chanted slogans against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for its failure to release their salaries. They also blocked the Timergara-Dir road for some time and demanded of the government to release their salaries.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2016