Five cops laid to rest in Kohat

Source The News

Five out of six policemen, who were killed in clash with the militants in Matani area of Peshawar, were laid to rest in their respective villages with state honours on Saturday.

Six cops and a civilian were killed while seven others including District Police Officer (DPO) Delawar Khan Bangash were wounded in deadly attack by the militants in Matani areaon Friday. The DPO was on his way to Kohat after attending a meeting in Peshawar.

The DPO was being escorted by the mobile squad including constables Shoaib Noor, Mushtaq, Mudassir, Shehzad Khan, Noor Zaman and Nasrullah when the militants fired rocket shells on the police.

The DPO, who sustained bullet injuries in his stomach, was shifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Kohat where after successful operation his condition was stable.

The sources said that four militants were killed in the clash while they took away the rifles of the slain cops.

The security forces and police launched search operation in the area but there were no reports about the arrest of militants as they had already escaped.

Matani becomes nightmare for cops

Source The News

Matani has turned into a nightmare not only for the cops deployed at the local police station, but also for the security personnel travelling through the area during odd hours.

Seven policemen were killed and another seven were wounded when the convoy of the District Police Officer (DPO) Kohat, Dilawar Bangash came under attack in the troubled Matani town late Friday night. Dilawar Bangash sustained injuries when his convoy was attacked with rockets followed by intense firing by the militants. His condition, however, is said to be out of danger.

Six of the cops killed were those escorting the DPO from Kohat. One of those killed and five pf the wounded are from the Elite Force which was rushed to Matani from Peshawar after the DPO Kohat was attacked. The wounded are being treated at the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.

The funeral prayers for one slain cop was offered at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines in Peshawar. The funerals for the other six policemen were offered at Kohat Police Lines on Saturday.

Dilawar Bangash came under attack when he was on the way from Kohat to Peshawar at around 11pm. The attackers fired rockets at his car and another vehicle escorting him and then opened indiscriminate fire before the cops could retaliate. Contingents of the police and soldiers were sent to the area and the exchange of fire between the two sides continued for a few hours before the attackers managed to escape from the scene.

Only a few days back, five soldiers were killed and many wounded when their convoy was attacked by the militants on Kohat Road in Matani. Search operations are being conducted in the area on regular basis.

It isn’t known as to why the DPO Kohat was driving at such late hours from Kohat to Peshawar through the troubled Matani area in rural Peshawar where attacks on security personnel has become a routine.

In a similar attack, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Bannu, Abid Ali, was ambushed in the same area in November 2006. Abid Ali and his driver were killed in the attack.

Apart from ambushes, the police have come under attack in Matani and nearby villages bordering the tribal area over the last many years. In October last year, Superintendent of Police (SP) Rural, Peshawar, Khurshid Khan, was killed along with six other security personnel when militants stormed the Ghaziabad police post in the area.

Kalam Khan, another police officer who supervised the area of Matani as SP Rural, was killed in a suicide attack in Pishtakhara in March last year. Abdur Rashid Khan, deputy superintendent of police Saddar who looked after the areas of the Matani and Badaber police stations, was killed in another suicide attack on Kohat Road in January 2011. A number of inspectors, sub-inspectors and junior policemen have been killed and wounded in attacks in the area in recent years.

Six killed, DPO Kohat injured after militants launch attack in Mattani

Source Dawn

Four police personnel have been killed while the District Police Officer (DPO) Kohat Dilawar Bangash has been injured, along with his guards, after militants launched a rocket attack in Mattani area near FR Darra Adamkhel.

Exchange of fire is still continuing between security forces and the attackers. The situation is not clear and reinforcement has been sent in to counter the attack.

The DPO and his injured guard have reached CMH Kohat. The DPO's hand is reported to have been injured only.‏

Peshawar police confirmed that the DPO’s vehicle had come under attack and that he was injured along with other police officers.

“We cannot confirm more on it but yes the DPO and his guards have been injured in the attack with rockets and gunfire while exchange of firing is still going on,” police official said.

34 suspects held in Kohat

Source The News

The local police claimed to have arrested 34 suspected persons during a search operation in the limits of Bilitang Police Station on Saturday.

Talking to reporters, DPO Delawar Khan Bangash said police launched a search operation against the criminals in the area and arrested 34 suspected persons and seized arms including seven Kalashnikov rifles, six repeaters, 14 guns, 10 pistols and several cartridges, besides two kilograms of hashish from their possession.

Police mobile attacked in Kohat

Source The News

A patrolling police mobile was attacked when a remote-controlled bomb exploded near Kohat, Geo News reported Friday.

According to police, a police mobile was on regular patrolling when a remote controlled bomb went off planted by the militants in border area of Ghaziabad. Fortunately, no loss of life was reported, however, exchange of fire took place between the militants and security forces.

The militants successfully fled from the scene after exchanging fire with police.

Another time device was defused that was found from the same location. Security forces have launched a search operation in the area after the incident.

Kohat police arrest 13 transvestites

Source Dawn

Over a dozen transvestites were arrested in a police crackdown on the charges of their involvement in ‘unethical and illegal’ activities in Kohat here on Friday night.

About 100 transvestites have hired rooms in a building in main Tirah bazaar of the city and residing there since long. These people have come from various parts of Punjab and tribal areas and perform at marriage parties and other such functions in the area, residents said.

Police confirmed that 13 transvestites were picked up from suspected places and put behind bars following complaints of local people. Police have registered an FIR against them.

The police said that though the transvestites had permit of dancing at functions, some of them were arrested after complaints that they were involved in unethical activities and promoting vulgarity.

Peeping through the bars of city police lock-up, they told this correspondent that they were innocent. They said that they had come to the city to earn livelihood for their families back home.

It has been learnt that sometimes the police pick them up forcibly from the building during night time and drop them back in the morning.

Cop among two go missing in Kohat

Source The News

Two persons including a policeman went missing in Tanda Dam in the limits of Saddar Police Station on Sunday, sources said.

The sources said that policeman Kamran Khan along with his friend Javed Iqbal went to Tanda Dam on motorcycle. Both mysteriously went missing while their motorcycle was found parked along the dam, the sources added.

Acting on a tip-off, the police reached the spot and launched search operation but there was no clue about their whereabouts till the filing of this report.

Two policemen killed in Kohat ambush

Source The News

Two cops were killed when unidentified gunmen ambushed a van near the cement factory on the Kohat-Rawalpindi Road, local sources said on Monday.

The sources said that driver Munawwar Khan and Constable Jehanzeb were returning to the Gumbat Police Station after dropping some cops in Kohat city. When the van reached a hotel near the cement factory, the attackers opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle, killing the two cops on the spot.

The gunmen managed to escape after committing the crime. A heavy contingent of the Bilitang Police Station arrived on the spot and shifted the bodies to the Liaqat Memorial Hospital for autopsy.

The police launched search operation after the attack and arrested several suspects.

A case was also registered with the Bilitang Police Station against the unknown attackers.

Meanwhile, funeral prayers for the slain cops were offered at the Kohat Police Lines. Later, the bodies were dispatched to their native towns for burial.

Committee fails to submit report in stipulated time

Source The News

The inquiry committee formed by the chief minister to probe the case of a teenage girl reportedly kidnapped a year ago and repeatedly raped by several persons, including policemen, has failed to submit its report in the stipulated time.

The committee is working at a snail s pace while the girl, Uzma Ayub, is pleading that her life is in danger and is seeking timely justice.

On October 5, Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti directed the inquiry committee headed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa home secretary and having the AIG Police Investigation and Kohat commissioner as members to submit its findings to the government within a week. But the committee took nine days to just record the statement of Uzma Ayub and her brother Alamzeb.

Sources told The News here on Sunday that the committee did complete the identification process on October 14. On the occasion, Uzma Ayub accused Station House Officers Pir Mohsin Shah and Amir Khan and Sub-Inspector Hakeem of arresting her. She also identified the other accused including Nazar Khan, Karim and Dr Iqbal.

The sources said Naseebullah, who is serving in the army and is the main accused in the case, did not appear before the inquiry committee.

Uzma Ayub informed the committee that there were some injury marks on the body of Sub-Inspector Hakeem, who according to her was one of the rapists. The committee also collected information from the accused and recorded their statements.

The police officers in their defence alleged that Uzma Ayub s brother was also involved in some cases. In reply, her brother Alamzeb presented the record of these cases and said he was charged in only one case in 2005 when one of his relatives implicated him. He stressed that he was acquitted in the case after 18 months.

Alamzeb reminded that when he along with his mother raised voice against the injustice with his sister, the police in 2010 implicated him in a mobile phone theft case and also in the case of an untraceable vehicle in Kohat. He said the police were still victimising his family for going public with the complaint against the cops. He said that those who helped their family were also being implicated in false cases.

Alamzeb claimed that the police implicated their lawyer Afsar Khan in false cases for helping their family and filing an application under Section 22A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) against the accused in the kidnapping and rape case of his sister. He said the police also tortured their lawyer Afsar Khan mentally, physically and financially. After immense pressure, he said, the lawyer abandoned the case.

It may be added that the Child Welfare & Protection Commission and CSO members from Shirkat Gah, Blue Veins, NET, SPARC, Aurat Foundation, ABKT, Khwendo Kor and CRSD are providing legal aid to Uzma Ayub and her family.

These organisations held an emergency meeting when the news of Uzma Ayub s plight appeared in the media and decided to independently probe the incident. The Child Welfare & Protection Commission and CSO members inquiry report also revealed that Uzma Ayub was innocent and had been wronged.

It demanded exemplary punishment to all the accused in the case. It is now up to the government to ensure that the inquiry committee formed by the chief minister completes its work and justice is delivered to Uzma Ayub and her family.

Ex-nazim, 5 others held for attack on Lachi police

Source Dawn

A local court here on Wednesday remanded former union council nazim of Lachi tehsil and his five supporters in police custody for two days for attacking the police station.
The ex-nazim, Fawad Khan, and his relative Sohail had forcibly entered the Lachi police station to get his relative released after he was arrested on unspecified charges late on Tuesday night. According to reports, they had also exchanged hot words with the station house officer and other policemen and resorted to firing in the air.
Meanwhile, the people of the area surrounded the police station and pelted stones at the police as a result of which SHO Khanullah and two policemen received injuries. Some accused in the police lockup also got injured in the fighting.
The protesters later blocked the Indus Highway and demanded the release of the suspect Hidayatullah. The police overpowered them and arrested Fawad, Manzoor, Waseem, Faisal, Abid and Nazeer for interfering in police affairs, firing, beating policemen and blocking the Indus Highway.
The elders of the area reached the police station and initiated talks with the police officers for the release of the nazim and his men, who are said to be influential landlords of the area. The negotiations continued for several hours, but the police high ups ordered that the accused should be arrested and proper FIR lodged against them. Later, the police registered cases against several people who had blocked the highway and raids were being conducted for their arrest

13 arrested for parallel policing

Source Dawn

Police on Saturday arrested 13 leaders of armed movement of Muhammadzai and sealed its office for running parallel policing system in the area.

After holding a meeting with some Muhammadzai elders here, District Police Officer Mubarek Zeb said that the movement had been banned and its office sealed for challenging the government`s writ. However, he allowed renaming of the movement as Islahi Committee, whose members would not carry arms and only confine to social activities. It would comprise 15 members.
The armed Ghazi Rajab Khan movement had been patrolling the borders with Orakzai Agency and the street of the area along with police for last many years to curb crime. A week ago, the armed members of the movement had beaten up four policemen, who asked them to surrender arms and stop patrolling the area.
The movement was formed for fighting wars with the Bezote tribesmen after they occupied Muhammadzai people`s mountain and land. The DPO also demanded surrender of the remaining men involved in beating of the policemen. On the request of elders, the movement was allowed to start social work and leave the land dispute to the government.

Kohat police arrest TTP leader

Source Central Asia Online


Security forces arrested a commander of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) of Orakzai Agency and an accomplice in a medical clinic April 18.

The intelligence agency received a tip that TTP commander Abdul Akbar, son of Fazal Akbar, was seeking treatment in a dental clinic near the Kohat Tehsil municipal administration building. He was from the Ali Khel tribe of Dabori in Orakzai Agency of Dabori area and is commander of the Hakeemullah Mehsud group, Dawn reported, citing an official.

Akbar and his unidentified accomplice were taken to an unknown location for interrogation.