LAKKI MARWAT: Elders of the Bannu’s Sukari tribe have demanded action against a former provincial minister for allegedly grabbing the land of a cemetery.

A delegation of elders led by Malik Tareefullah Khan made the demand during a meeting with assistant commissioner Syed Abrar Ali Shah on Monday.

They told the assistant commissioner that 4.3 kanals of land located along a road near the Kutchery Gate in the Bannu city had been declared Waqf property for a cemetery since 1941.

They alleged that former provincial minister Malik Shah Mohammad Khan had started construction on the land in a bid to occupy it, but the tribesmen had forcibly stopped the work.

They thanked the local administration for initiating an inquiry into the matter.

The assistant commissioner told the elders that reports had been sought from the revenue and Auqaf departments regarding the land. He said the district administration would thoroughly study the case and ensure no injustice was done to tribesmen.

GUARD HURT IN ATTACK: Unidentified armed men attacked the security guards of a cement factory in Darra Pezu town of Lakki Marwat district on Sunday night, leaving one of them injured.

The police said a group of 15 armed men entered the factory area from Wanda Ahmad Khan side and opened fire on the security guards.

The injured, Irfanullah, told the police the armed men, who fled the scene after firing, made their entry to the factory to commit theft.

The police said the injured was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Tajazai, and a case had been registered against the attackers in the Shaheed Haibat Ali Khan police station.

Meanwhile, the police arrested a proclaimed offender and seized arms and ammunition from him in Sarkori area of Lakki Marwat on Monday.

A police official said after receiving a tip-off about the presence of outlaw, Irfanullah, in the rural locality, a party of Shaheed Asmatullah Khan Khattak police station of Serai Naurang town was dispatched there.

He said the armed man hurled a hand grenade towards the policemen when he noticed them, but luckily it could not explode.

The cops overpowered the suspect after a brief chase and recovered a pistol and bullets from him, he said, adding later the bomb disposal squad experts defused the grenade. He said a case was registered against the outlaw.

Separately, the Ghaznikhel police arrested a suspect, Abdul Salam, wanted in a murder case, during a raid in Paharkhel Pacca area.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2024