LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Feb 9: The Bara political authorities on Wednesday plugged all entry points of smuggled goods to Bara tehsil in the Qambarkhel area after an armed group of Shiekhmal Khel tribe forcibly took over possession of illegal checkpoints established in the area.

Political tehsildar Bara told Dawn that the Khasadar force had been deployed at the Sheenko Kandao and Karawal entry points. He said that a contingent of the Mehsood Scouts was also dispatched to the area in aid of the Khasadar force. Not a single vehicle carrying smuggled goods had crossed over since the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, said Afsar Ali, political tehsildar Bara.

All the entry points of smuggled goods are effectively sealed, he added. He said that the move was necessitated after two rival groups in the area threatened to forcibly occupy the checkpoints established in the Qambarkhel area.

The Sheikhmal Khel tribesmen, a sub-tribe of Qambarkhel, had in the past established a number of illegal checkpoints in the area and were collecting toll tax from vehicles carrying smuggled goods coming in from Afghanistan via Tirah valley, official sources in Bara told Dawn.

All these checkpoints were abolished by a religious organization, Amr Bil Maroof wa Nahi Anil Munkir, headed by Haji Namdar, exactly a year ago on the grounds that these were illegal and against the Quranic injunctions. The two groups are at loggerheads since then and an armed clash between them had left at least 8 people, including 4 children, dead and a number of houses demolished in August last year.

In order to calm the situation and find a solution to the conflict, the political administration constituted a jirga of Kukikhel and Zakhakhel elders in September last year.

The administration had in the meantime also handed over the control of Qambarkhel checkpoints to the jirga members who were collecting toll tax for its distribution among the three sub-tribes of Qambarkhel.

Sources in Bara assistant political agent office said the jirga, under the supervision of Bara APA, devised a toll tax distribution formula among Sheikhmal Khel, Wandgari and Dre Plara sub-tribes of Qambarkhel.

According to the agreed formula, a total of 1800 rupees would be collected from every truck entering the Qambarkhel area while carrying smuggled goods. Of the total, Wandgari sub-tribe would pocket Rs1400, while the remaining Rs400 would be equally distributed among Dre Plara and Sheikhmal Khel. A written text of the decision was made available to this correspondent.

The official sources told Dawn that the Sheikhmal Khels were opposed to this formula, so they again forcibly occupied all the checkpoints on Tuesday.

Reacting to this move, Haji Namdar, the Amir of Amr Bil Maroof wa Nahi Anil Munkir, told Dawn that his men would not allow entry of any vehicle loaded with smuggled goods into the Qambarkhel Khel area.