Terror alert for ‘soft targets’ in Swabi, Nowshera issued

SWABI: The police have issued an alert about the plans of the banned terrorist outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan to attack ‘soft targets’ in Swabi and Nowshera district and ordered measures to protect the people’s lives.

A police letter issued by the provisional and regional police on Sunday and available with Dawn reads, “Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan has detailed a terrorist tashkeel [group] to Swabi and Nowshera from Marawara Markaz in Kumar province of Afghanistan. The tashkeel is likely to arrive in the area soon.”

It adds that according to intelligence agencies, the “tashkeel” would merge with the one led by terrorist Izhar Shiraz and already present in Swabi.

“They (TTP) have planned to go for soft targets like polio team, traffic police wardens and security personnel,” it read.

The letter also said the district police should take necessary precautionary measures against terrorist plans and arrest terrorists before sending the progress report to the provisional police chief officer by Thursday.

The local police claimed that they had undertaken numerous measures to foil terrorist plans.

They said district police officer Najamul Hussnain visited “strategic installations” and other key areas, checked security measures and directed officials to enhance security checks and remain alert.

PROTEST: Scores of people, including jirga members and leaders of political parties, on Monday demonstrated here against the police’s failure to arrest the robbers of the house of District Bar Association general secretary Safdar Zeb.

They said DSP of Razaar tehsil Ayaz Mehmood had promised the arrest of robbers by Monday, but that hadn’t happened.

DSP Ayaz told Dawn that the police had told jirga members to form a committee so that progress on the matter could be shared with it from time to time.

He said he was hopeful about the early arrest of robbers.

Meanwhile, the Swabi Bar Association’s general body met and demanded the early arrest of robbers.