25,000 litres of fake cold drinks seized in Kohat

Source Thenews

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority on Thursday seized 25,000 litres of fake cold drinks and 5,000 rotten eggs during various operations conducted across the provinc

Under the directives of Director General Food Authority Riaz Khan Mahsud, Deputy Director, Kohat, Kamran Yousafzai conducted raids on two godowns and recovered 25,000 litres of fake cold drinks.

He said that the drinks include national and international brands. "The premises have been sealed and teams are checking all godowns of beverages to curb supply of fake cold drinks to the general public in Kohat.” He also said that those using rotten eggs in bakery items would also be dealt with an iron hand.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director, Mardan, Zeeshan Mahsud said 5000 rotten eggs were seized during a raid on the production unit of a bakery on the outskirts of the city. He maintained that five of the production units were sealed and seized items including rotten eggs discarded.

Kohat water board staff strikes ended

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STRIKE ENDS: The water supply was restored to the city on Friday after protesting staff of Water Supply and Sanitation Company Kohat and tehsil municipal administration ended their three-day strike following an agreement with President of the staff association, Sohail Baba, told journalists that assistant commissioner Abdur Rehman was sent to Peshawar by the deputy commissioner who got approved the one-month salary which was paid to employees on Friday. However, he said the remaining two-month salary would be paid later.

He announced that the cleanliness drive would start immediately, including the operation of tubewells.

He said tons of garbage had accumulated during the strike which would be lifted by the sanitation workers who would work extra hours to keep the city clean. He said district nazim Nazim Naseem Afridi and deputy commissioner had promised to take up the issue of non-payment of salaries with the minister local government.

PLANTATION DRIVE: General Manager National Highway Authority Ghulam Mujtaba Memon and officials of a local cement factory kicked off the Prime Minister’s Clean and Green Pakistan campaign by planting a sapling on the premises of the factory on Friday.

On the occasion, the speakers, including district nazim Naseem Afridi, said plants were the lifeline for humans and other living creatures and kept the environment clean and healthy.

Source Dawn

Mobile phone dealers protest heavy taxes In Kohat

Source:Dawn

KOHAT: Mobile phone markets remained closed as the dealers rallied against exorbitant taxation on Monday.

They started the protest rally from Tehsil Gate and marched up to Shah Faisal Gate, demanding withdrawal of 40 per cent tax imposed on the mobile phones which had affected their sales.

They said price of each mobile set had shot up by Rs3,000 to Rs4,000 after the tax and the people had stopped buying. 

They said their buyers were mostly young people who were dependent on their parents to purchase the phones.

They said the Dubai-made phones were cheap and people preferred to buy them even though they had no guarantee but were reliable. But tax on them had been increased, they lamented. 

The traders said the imported mobile sets were already costly and very few people bought them. The protesters said Pakistan-made sets were also cheaper but had no buyers.

EMPLOYEES ON STRIKE: The staff of Water Supply and Sanitation Company Kohat announced to close down all tubewells during their strike which continued for second consecutive day on Monday against non-payment of salaries for two months.

They also held a rally through the bazaar, and asked the district nazim, tehsil nazim, federal interior minister and adviser to the chief minister to clear their dues.

Earlier, they had boycotted only sanitation services which created garbage mess in the city squares and bazaars.

Last month, the WSSC and tehsil municipal administration staff had embarked on a strike as well, but resumed duties after promises made by the WSSC chief executive officer and the tehsil municipal officer.

They were also demanding payment of arrears of their salary raise and increments blocked for several months.

WSSC media adviser Asma Ali said the local government was facing shortage of funds to pay the salaries.

Two terrorists arrested in Kohat Lakki Marwat area

LAKKI MARWAT/KOHAT: Two suspected terrorists, one in injured condition, were arrested in Lakki Marwat and Kohat districts on Friday.

Police arrested a terrorist during a search and strike operation in Kurrum Par area of Lakki Marwat, said an official. He said cops signaled a suspected motorcyclist to stop at a checking point on Landiwah-Qaboolkhel Road, but he parked his bike at a distance from the checkpoint and opened fire on police.

The suspect also tried to hurl a hand grenade but policemen overpowered him and seized a pistol, bullets and a hand grenade from him, he said, adding the law enforcers also collected spent casings of bullets from the place and shifted the arrested man to police station.

The official said the arrested man was wanted by Bannu police’s Counter-Terrorism Department in terrorism cases.

In Kohat, the police raided hideouts of terrorists in mountains of Kamar Dhand. After seeing the police they started firing which was retaliated in which outlaw Akbar Khan was injured and later captured. The others escaped.

A statement said the accused had been hiding in the mountains for several years and was wanted in attacks on security forces, kidnappings, extortion and murders. The elite police force took part in the special operation which lasted for several hours.

Similarly, the cantonment police held an extortionist, Muzarab Khan, who had deprived a businessman of Rs700,000 and was also threatening him for more money. The police raided his house in Garhi Mawaz Khan and arrested him.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2019

new traffic rules in Kohat

New traffic rules in Kohat have made the lives of common people difficult. There used to be smooth traffic to Kohat city from the Pindi, Bannu, Hangu and KDA roads. Now the authorities concerned have decided to make stops for local passenger pick-ups at Bannu gate and Peshawar Chowk. These new stops are about a kilometre and a half away from Kohat city. Thus a commuter has to pay double fare. This is an unnecessary financial and physical burden on a poor person. Furthermore, these new stops create traffic congestion.

The second problem is that Peshawar Chowk is the site of two previous bomb blasts. Usually the space was less crowded. Now, because of this new stopover, there is a constant rush of passengers at this spot. This is very unsafe from a security point of view.

Muhammad Usman Ali

Kohat

Refugees in Kohat demand extension in stay till 2020

Source Dawn

KOHAT: A jirga of Afghan refugees living in Kohat has demanded of the government to allow extension in their stay till 2020.

Addressing the jirga at Ghulam Banda refugee camp here, the maliks requested the Pakistani government to stop their expulsion and closure of schools in the camps, as it would destroy the future of their children.

They eulogised the good gesture of the government for granting them stay for 30 years with honour and dignity. They claimed that the current government in Afghanistan might not welcome them and there would be an imminent danger to their lives if they returned now.

The jirga was addressed by Maulana Zafar, Najmuddin, Noor Hassan, Malik Gul Ali and Malik Ghafoor and attended by a large number of refugees.

They accused the government in Afghanistan of playing in the hands of Nato and India which had no concern with their rehabilitation, but to establish an anti-Pakistan rule there. They said that the west and India wanted to create hatred and differences between Afghans and Pakistanis.

They demanded that the stay of illegal Afghans be extended till 2020 and of the card holders till 2025.

“We now consider Pakistan as our home and give all honour and respect to its institutions so the government should consider our demand on humanitarian basis,” the jirga members said.

A large number of Afghan refugees believe that the deadline of Dec 2016 for their return is false and they could leave whenever they like. One Gul Agha who owns a shop and his wife works as a maid in houses said that the government could not uproot their businesses and force them to vacate their houses to which were attached memories of their parents and grandparents.

Kohat: 4 dead, 3 injured as unidentified gunmen open fire at car

KOHAT (Dunya News) – Four people died whereas three were injured after unidentified gunmen open fire at a car in Kohat on Saturday, reported Dunya News.

Shakardara Nazim rural village council Munir Khan was travelling in his car along with his relatives towards his residence when unidentified gunmen opened fire at the car near Shakardara resulting in the deaths of Nazim Munir Khan, Attiq Rehman and his two sons, Shafiq and Rafiq.

Three people, including a lady and a young girl, got injured as a result of the incident. Police stated that the incident was the outcome of personal rivalry, adding that further investigation of the incident was being carried out.

Jirga threatens protest if refinery shifted from Kohat

KOHAT: Political leaders, councillors, lawyers and traders constituted a jirga to press the government to abandon the plan of shifting the proposed oil-refinery from Kohat to Karak district.

The jirga which was named as Kohat Jirga would hold talks with provincial and federal government and would create awareness among the masses about the importance of the oil-refinery in Kohat.

District Naizm Maulana Niaz Muhammad, Tehsil Nazim Malik Taimor Khan, former MNA Khurshid Begum, former Senator Abbas Afridi, JUI-F District President Jamil Paracha, District Bar President Javed Panchi, PML-N leader Haji Sher Khan, PPP District President Farid Khan, ANP leader Saeed Shah Bukhari, JI District President Qari Fateh Muhammad and trader leaders attended the jirga.

The participants termed the shifting of the oil-refinery a conspiracy against the people of Kohat.

They said that the previous government had announced the Rs 40 billion project. The OGDCL survey report had claimed that the lifespan of the oil wells in Kohat was 80 years while that of Karak is 25 years, they maintained.

PML-N protesters stop PTI rally in Kohat

PESHAWAR: Protesters belonging to the PML-N Sunday stopped the PTI’s Ehtesab rally from heading to Attock from Peshawar.

According to sources, the PTI workers from across the KP and Fata gathered in Peshawar to begin their Tehreek-e-Ehtesab rally towards Attock. However, when they reached Kohat, a large number of protesters belonging to the PML-N were on roads. The workers, burning tyres on roads at four different points, came face to face with participants of the PTI rally, compelling Imran’s supporters to change their route.

The PML-N supporters were being led by the party MNA Abbas Afridi; however, the PML-N senior leaders Talal Chaudhry claimed that the protest was joined by other parties as well. “The protest has nothing to do with PTI’s rally,” he clarified.

Meanwhile, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the ruling party is using ‘dirty tactics’ to halt the way of anti-government protesters. “Protest is our democratic right which could not be snatched.

Apparently to foil PTI’s political show, the ruling PML-N organised a public meeting in Peshawar Sunday. PTI’s protest march is part of the opposition’s efforts to press the government to launch probe into Panama Leaks, which involved offshore holdings of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family. According to our correspondent, PTI activists from all over KP and Fata reached Zakori Bridge to kick off the rally. Imran Khan addressed his supporters before formal start of the rally. He was accompanied by senior party leaders including Naeemul Haq, Jehangir Tareen and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The rally started heading towards Attock, where a large public meeting will be held in Khairabad area.