KOHAT, May 1 In an effort to ensure safety of passengers on the Kohat-Hangu-Parachinar highway and combat terrorism, the authorities on Friday formed a 62-member peace jirga of elders and decided to confine Afghan refugees to camps.

Social organisations of villages on the Kohat-Hangu highway, meanwhile, announced to hold a peace conference soon for awakening of the people against sectarianism.

The government has being trying to resolve the sectarian issue by holding jirgas for three years but all efforts have gone down the drain due to non-cooperation between the sects and alleged foreign interference. The village, tehsil, district and regional level jirgas have failed to achieve anything except for earning money from the government and prolonging the peace process.

In a jirga held at the Kohat Police Club on Friday, the regional administration called a meeting of elected representatives from Kohat and Hangu.They decided to form the 62-member joint peace jirga, which would take strict action against kidnappers and terrorists.

The participants urged ulema to stress cooperation between the people and the administration in their Friday sermons to save the country from falling into the hands of terrorists.

The meeting was attended by Kohat District Coordination Officer Siraj Ahmed, Hangu District Nazim Khan Afzal, Kohat Ddistrict Naib Nazim Mohammad Arif, Hangu District Police Officer Sher Akbar Khan, Kohat District Police Officer Dilawar Khan Bangash, local chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) Maulana Abdul Hayee, local chief of Jamaat-i-Islami Abdi Khan, Mian Shah Raza of the Bangash Ittehad Council, Maulana Reham Din of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat and representatives of political parties.

Speaking on the occasion, the Kohat DCO said that in line with the new strategy of the provincial government, coordination among stakeholders was being strengthened, besides taking local people into confidence. He opined this would help identify sinister elements in the society and make collective efforts to inculcate the feelings of love, brotherhood and tolerance in various sects.

He asked the business community and the local people to immediately get vacated their shops and houses rented out to Afghan refugees, who had been barred from entering city limits.

He expressed the hope that the elders would make serious efforts to make the Kohat-Parachinar highway safe for members of every sect and religion.

BAR POLLS A Pakistan People's Party nominee was elected president of the Kohat Bar Association by defeating a candidate of his own party by a close margin on Thursday.

Mazahir Ali Shah was elected president by getting 104 votes against Mr Rauf's 96 votes.

Samiullah was elected vice-president with 103 votes by defeating Javed Khagazai and Iftikhar Khattak.