KOHAT: A marriage dispute claimed two lives and left one injured in Khushalgarh area here on Monday, the police said.

The Gumbat police said that the attacker, identified as Banaras Khan, escaped the area after the double murder.

They said the injured man, identified as Aqib, told the police that the murders took place over a marriage dispute.

The police said they were searching for the attacker after registering a double murder case against him.

Meanwhile, social and political activists have resented the high prices of bakery items despite the fact that price of a 50kg bag of fine quality flour had significantly fallen. They asked the authorities to ensure prices of all bakery items were reduced by 50 per cent.

They also asked the deputy commissioner to take strict action against the bakery mafia for fleecing consumers.

TOLL TAX EXEMPTION SOUGHT: The thorny issue of exempting locals from toll tax at the Pakistan-Japan Friendship Tunnel here is becoming severe due to repeated violations of ‘immunity agreements’ by the National Highway Authority.

It merits a mention here that 30,000 to 32,000 vehicles cross the tunnel daily.

The activists blasted the local lawmakers for not being able to take up the matter with the authorities concerned despite promises to get the locals exempted from the ‘unjustified’ toll tax.

In December 2024, senior officials from the Kohat division, including the commissioner, and NHA officials had agreed that local citizens would be exempted from the toll tax. However, the toll is still being collected.

The 1.9-kilometre tunnel on the Indus Highway had replaced a hilly track. The tunnel serves as a shorter, alternate route to Kohat Pass, situated between Peshawar and Kohat, decreasing the travel time by about 20 minutes, thus saving time and money.

Previously, the 22-kilometer steep track on the narrow Kohat Pass made it impossible for the long-bodied vehicles to navigate, causing frequent accidents.

The hilly track was constructed by the British in 1922.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2025