LANDI KOTAL: Hundreds of drivers of non-custom paid vehicle held a protest in Jamrud on Thursday against what they called harassment at checkposts.

The protesters hoisted black flags atop their vehicles and parked their cars near the Bhagiyarree checkpost on the main Peshawar-Torkham Highway.

Nasrat Khan, owner of an NCP vehicle, which he uses as a taxicab, told this scribe that nearly 600 such vehicles were already registered with the Khyber district administration but they were not issued temporary registration as was done with hundreds of other such vehicles.

He said that nearly 90 per cent of the NCP vehicles were used as taxicabs. “It is the only source of earning for the owners,” he said.

Mr Khan alleged that Khasadar and Frontier Corps personnel posted at the Bhagiyarree checkpost were demanding money from them to permit them to ply their vehicles on the road. “The money they demand is beyond our financial status as our business has been adversely affected by the restrictions imposed on our movement,” he added.

Mohammad Farooq, another driver, said that a large number of NCP vehicles went off road owing to a ‘crackdown’ on them. He said that on one hand the district administration lured them to register their vehicles and on the other hand a campaign was launched against them.

Malak Abdur Razaq, a local elder, told this scribe that he had credible information of an official order about grant of permission to all NCP vehicles in the newly merged tribal districts for a certain period but even then the drivers were harassed at the checkposts.

He alleged that the vehicles, which were not registered with the local administration, were secretly allowed to move out of Khyber tribal district after payment of Rs60,000 to Rs70,000 per vehicle.

Officials, however, rejected the allegations and claim of tribal elder about any official notification regarding grant of permission to NCP vehicles.

Nusrat Khan, a protesting driver, said that a number of such vehicles were in use of Khasadar and other administrative officials and moved scot-free on the roads.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2018