KOHAT, Feb 14: The security forces arrested fifty suspects during a search operation in Thall and Doaba towns of Hangu district on Monday.

Officials said that the operation was aimed at finding the whereabouts of an employee of Kurram administration, Mumtaz, who was kidnapped on gunpoint by unknown men from Hangu-Kurram highway the other day.

The police and Frontier Constabulary took part in the swoop. The suspects were taken to unknown location for interrogation. Sources said despite the arrest of the fifty suspects the government was still clueless about the missing official.

The kidnapping of the official came a week after the fragile peace accord reached between the Kurram agency tribesmen and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.

The SHO of Doaba police told journalists that there was no important leader of militants or the kidnapper of the official among the detained suspects. But added efforts to recover the official were being expanded.

SNOWFALL: The Hangu district received a short spell of snowfall for the first time in 100 years on Monday. The adjacent district of Kohat received rain and heavy hailstorm. Heavy downpours have been lashing the Kohat division for more than a week turning the weather chilly.

TRANSFORMERS STOLEN: Thieves took away two transformers from Bilitang town on Rawalpindi road while a failed attempt was made by militants to blow up a high transmission tower in Togh village early on Sunday.

The militants had tied explosives to the tower in Malangi area of Togh which caused partial damage to the tower. However, the power was not disrupted.

The first 25kv transformer was stolen from a village while the second one was taken away from the new hospital building near graveyard. The Wapda has registered cases against the thieves and the suspected militants.

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

An audit of polio funds at federal and provincial levels is sorely needed, with obstacles hindering eradication efforts targeted.
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...
Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...