SWABI: The police claimed on Friday to have arrested two militants, including a local commander of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and recovered explosives and bomb making material from them.

Addressing a press conference here, district police officer Javed Iqbal said five kilogram of explosives, two detonators, four mines, 10 foot safety fuses, two pistols, rounds, and a motorcycle were recovered from them.

He said the intelligence agencies informed the district police about the presence of militants to carry out sabotage acts in the district. He said sub-divisional police officer Izhar Shah Khan and station house officer of city police led the search operation in Saleem Khan village.

He said the two suspected terrorists tried to escape the area on their motorcycle when they saw the police, but they were not allowed as the police had barricaded all the paths going out of the village.

“When the police party chased them they started firing, forcing the personnel to fire back, keeping the outlaws engaged for some time. Finally, the police succeeded to arrest them,” Mr Iqbal said, identifying the outlaws as Gul Sher and Siddique Rehman of Malak Abad.

The DPO said Gul Sher was a local Taliban commander, adding both the terrorists were wanted in several terrorist related cases to Swabi and Nowshera police.

SCHOOL UPGRADED: The pre-partition Government High School, Topi, has been upgraded to higher secondary level, claimed PML-N MPA Shiraz Khan on Friday. Islamia College Peshawar’s founder Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum had donated 55 kanals of land in the heart of his native Topi city for establishing the Topi primary school in 1930, which was upgraded to middle and high level in 1945.

Shiraz Khan said the contactor had been directed to consult the teaching staff in marking the site where the building for higher secondary classes would be constructed.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2016