LAKKI MARWAT - A jirga (tribal assembly) of Zangikhel and Mela Mandrakhel villages has warned the tribesmen to avoid sheltering criminals and miscreants; otherwise they would face penalties.
The warning came at a meeting held in Zangikhel village on Sunday. Elders and residents from both villages attended the meeting.
Prominent among them were former nazim Habibur Rehman, Minhajud Din, Maulana Mir Aslam, Sahib Jan, Abdul Khalik, Salameer and Yousaf Khan from Zangikhel and Shah Wali Khan, Muhammad Azeem and Haji Amanullah from Mela Mandrakhel.
The meeting was convened to discuss the post-affects of February 18 incident wherein a proclaimed offender was killed by his accomplices during an attempt of kidnapping a boy namely Irfanullah. Irfanullah’s father Muhammad Ibrahim was also killed by outlaws in the said incident took place in Zangikhel village.
The elders said that free roaming of outlaws was a serious threat to the peace in rural localities.
They appreciated deceased Muhammad Ibrahim for his courage to foil a bid of his son’s abduction and asked the local police authorities to ensure arrest of the fleeing culprits without any delay.
They told that all-out efforts would be made to stop infiltration of miscreants and proclaimed offenders into villages.
 “The residents should not put the peace efforts at stake by keeping a mum over anti social activities of criminals,” they maintained. They asked the villagers to keep an eye on the movements of outlaws and inform jirga or local police so that prompt action could initiated against them.
They warned that the jirga would impose heavy fines on the villagers if they were found involved in sheltering proclaimed offenders and miscreants. They also said that elders and residents of both villages would assist local police in their actions against criminal gangs so as to ensure their arrests and cleanse the area of crimes and ills.
Meanwhile, police on Sunday claimed to have arrested several wanted criminals and suspects and seized illegal weapons during a search and strike operation in rural localities bordering the frontier tribal region. A source said that security was tightened in the border villages to avert entry of miscreants to the district from tribal areas in the wake of targeted actions against terrorists in North Waziristan Agency. He told that miscreants could attempt to infiltrate into the district in disguise of displaced tribesmen and that was why border villages had been put under strict vigilance.
He said the operation commanded by DPO Ismail Kharak was successful as law enforcers captured two wanted men and eight suspects in it. “Besides, a kalashnikov rifle, three pistols, two shotguns and a large number of bullets were also seized from anti-social elements,” he added.
DC SEEKS POSTING OF CIVIL JUDGE AT LAKKI
The deputy commissioner of Lakki Marwat has approached the district and sessions judge for posting of a civil judge at Lakki city for disposing cases pertaining to police station Lakki.
A source said that district development advisory committee’s chairman and JUI-F MPA Munawar Khan Marwat had requested Deputy Commissioner Syed Zafar Ali Shah to take up the matter with relevant authorities as residents of urban and adjacent rural localities were faced with hardships and inconvenience to go to judicial complex Tajazai in connection with their cases.
He said that judicial courtrooms and residential facilities were available in Lakki city and posting of a civil judge there would be in the interests of general public.
“With the availability of courtroom and residential facilities the general public, business community and member of provincial assembly have solid grounds to demand posting of judge in Lakki city,” they maintained.
They told that deputy commissioner had requested the district and sessions judge to consider the matter in the best and larger interest of general public.