MANSEHRA, Aug 28: The provincial government has started hiring ex-army men for patrolling Karakoram Highway in jurisdiction of Kohistan to curb the Babusar Top and Harban like terrorist attacks in future as 39 people were gunned down in these two incidents.

“Yes, the recruiting process for patrolling force has been started and these ex-servicemen would be deployed on the KKH for the safety of passengers,” said Kohistan district police officer Abdul Majeed Afridi while speaking to reporters on Tuesday.

Sources said that the government had decided to establish KKH patrolling force for Kohistan after the Babusar Top attack in which 19 passengers were shot dead after pulling them down from passenger vehicles on Aug 16.

The recruiting process would be completed early next month and test/ interview of the applicants would be held in Abbottabad, Puttan and Dassu.

Mr Afridi said that as many as 150 ex-servicemen were being recruited for the force that would be deployed at the existing posts on KKH.

Besides, he said that 500 youngsters had applied for 115 posts of policemen announced by Kohistan district police. The physical test/interview process was started in Dassu on Tuesday under a selection committee. Mr Afridi said that appointment of regular police force would be completed within a couple of days.

KILLED: A young boy was killed and two other people were injured when a passenger jeep overturned in Naran on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at Chatter area when the driver lost control while negotiating a sharp turn and the vehicle overturned. Local people pulled the injured from the jeep and shifted them to civil hospital in Balakot where one Mazhar, 12, succumbed to his injuries.

Mohammad Fiaz and Noor Mohammad, who sustained critical injuries, were referred to King Abdullah Teaching Hospital in Mansehra.

Kaghan police registered an FIR and have started investigation.