KOHAT: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf local leaders have claimed that the party would sweep the coming local bodies’ elections in the province.

They were speaking at a workers’ convention held here on Monday. During the convention, MPA Ziaullah Bangash, who also heads the district development advisory committee, formed a committee comprising PTI district president Chacha Hamyun Pehlwan, general secretary Sajid Iqbal and Mohammad Qasim to oversee the preparations for the local bodies’ elections in the district.

He asked the workers to show the same unity as ‘demonstrated’ by lawmakers in the Senate elections. He claimed that PTI was successful in fulfilling its slogan of change and people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were benefiting from it.

Mr Bangash said that sudden change could not be brought because certain mindset of the bureaucrats and the people required to be changed for which many new laws were being introduced. The people would soon see good policing, dispensation of justice at their doorstep and mega projects of roads, hospitals and educational institutions, he explained.

The PTI lawmaker said that an exercise had already been launched to award strict punishment to senior officers for their corrupt practices.

AFGHANS AMONG 270 ARRESTED: The police arrested at least 270 people, Afghans among them, and recovered weapons and stolen items during the ongoing operation against criminals in the district on Monday.

The police teams from rapid response and elite force units conducted crackdown against criminals and illegal Afghan refugees in Dhoda, Dheri Banda, Jarma, Khawasi Banda, Tappi, Gumbat, Gorazai, Jungle Khel, Muhammadzai, Mian Garhi, Ustzrai, Marai, Kachai and other parts of the city.

They also took into custody nine Afghan refugees under the Foreign Act. Eleven Kalashnikovs, two Kalakovs, three repeaters, 12 pistols, six shotguns and four rifles were recovered from their possession.

Besides, the police also busted a gang of robbers and arrested its ringleader and two members.

The police raided their hideout on a tip-off and arrested Afghan national, Badakhshan, and his accomplices, including Ehteshamullah and Hikmat Khan.

On their revelation, the police also recovered the stolen items and registered case against them.

District police officer Mohammad Soheb Ashraf said that Kohat district had become infested with criminal gangs and weapons due to operation going on in the adjacent tribal areas and prolonged stay of IDPs.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2015

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