L A NDI KOTA L: The tribal elders, political workers and traders have expressed grave concerns over what they call the insulting attitude of Frontier Corps personnel with local residents at the newly established Shaheed Morr checkpost near Torkham border.

They said that inappropriate attitude of FC personnel would create hatred among people against the law enforcement agencies in the region.

Shah Hussain Shinwari, ANP president in Khyber Agency, told local journalists that residents of Bacha Maina were harassed andinsulted at Shaheed Morr in the name of border management policy and National Action Plan.

`More than 200 Khugakhel families of Shinwari tribe are residing near the border on their personal property for over two decades. They are duly issued domicile certificates and Computerised National Identity Cards by local administration but even then they are mistreated by the inexperienced and rude personnel of FC,` he added.

The residents of Bacha Maina alleged that even students, having less than 18 years of age, were not allowed to go to schools and colleges when they failed to produce CNICs at the said checkpost.

They said that a group of six college students were rescued by the local elders and officials of political administration when FC personnel sent them to the border crossing for deportation to Afghanistan despite the fact they had their college identity cards and domicile certificates.They said that women and children faced great hardships as most of them didn`t possess CNICs and Form-B, issued by National Database and Registration Authority. In most of the cases, ailing women were not allowed to go beyond Shaheed Morr for treatment to agency headquarters hospital in Landi Kotal, they added.

Sources said that FC personnel even stopped a Customs deputy collector, who was paying a visit to the custom terminal at border along with his staff few days ago.

Some of the local elders and political workers even questioned the validity of Shaheed Morr checl(post after the construction of Pakistan Gate at the main border crossing at Torkham.

Security officials posted at the border said that they were ordered by their high-ups to implement the border management policy in letter and spirit.

They, however, could not explain as to why local residents were subjected to such harsh and insulting behaviour by the lowerstaff.

Officials of the political administration acknowledged that repeated checking of documents at the said checkpoint annoyed the local residents and they were in the process of devising a simple and convenient process of verification at Shaheed Morr.

Assistant Political Agent Raheemullah Mehsud told Dawn that administration would soon sent a special team of Nadra for issuing CNICs and Form-B to the entire population of Bacha Maina.

He said that as part of an emergency arrangement to alleviate the sufferings of Bacha Maina residents, the administration in consultation with FC was contemplating issuance a temporary card to those, who didn`t possess CNICs and Farm-B.

`We will issue three cards in the name of one person with one issued to the local resident and the rest kept with local administration at Torkham and FC personnel at Shaheed Morr for on spot verification,` said Mr Mehsud.