LANDI KOTAL: The commuters have complained about repeated and prolonged checking at security checkposts along the recently opened Bara-Tirah Road.
Belonging to different parts of Tirah and Bara area, they told Dawn over the phone that the road was opened to halve the travel time but it didn’t serve the purpose due to the unnecessarily prolonged checking by security forces at checkpoints.
The commuters complained that there were 13 checkposts along the 110 kilometers road from Sheen Kamar in Bara to Bagh-Maidan Markaz in Tirah and security men disembarked all passengers, including women and children, from vehicles and made them wait for long time in the name of checking.
They said they’re troubled though they submitted particulars to security forces at entry and exit points both in Bagh-Maidan and Sheen Kamar or Mastak.
The commuters complained that they even women were body searched by male guards in violation of the local customs and traditions.
Saadullah Jan, a resident of Bagh-Maidan area, said he had abandoned his plan to go to Bara and Peshawar after learning about the excessive checking.
“The journey is not more than two and a half hours but has turned into six hours due to the complicated procedure of security checking,” he said.
Another local resident, Zareef Gul, said a number of passengers had begun using the Dabori-Orakzai-Hangu Road yet again to reach Bara just to avoid security
checking on Sheen Kamar-Bagh Maidan Road.
He also accused the security personnel of being harsh towards commuters and said heated exchanges between them had become a routine.
Ali Akbar, a resident of Tirah, urged the Frontier Corps inspector general to step in and order the easing of security checking on the road and increase of personnel at checkpoints.
Meanwhile, the residents of Sheen Kamar in Bara demanded of the Khyber
Agency political administration to approve water supply and reservoir schemes for the area to end the acute shortage of drinking water.
They said the region had many natural springs and water channels, which could help fulfil the people’s drinking needs through proper planning.
The residents complained that the situation had forced them to buy water from private bowsers.
Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2018
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