LANDI KOTAL: Khyber Agency political administration served notices on Malakdinkhel and Akkakhel tribes under Collective Territorial Responsibility clause of Frontier Crimes Regulations to surrender to it the 23 suspected tribesmen allegedly involved in two bomb attacks in Bara.

Officials said that elders of both the tribes were warned of strict action in accordance with FCR if they failed to hand over wanted men to the administration.

The political administration has already suspended all the official perks and privileges of Sipah tribe after the July 16 bomb blast in a water tanker of Frontier Corps.

Two FC personnel were critically injured inthe blast.

The blast took place in Malakdinkhel region but the responsibility was later claimed by proscribed militant organisation Lashkar-i-Islam, headed by Mangal Bagh, who belonged to Sipah tribe.

The Malakdinkhel elders on July 23 offered assistance and support to security forces and political administration in keeping their area cleansed of all undesirable elements. They pledged to raze the house of facilitator of militants in their area besides imposing a fine of Rs1million on him.

The Akkakhel elders too were issued similar notices by the administration. They were asked to hand over to the administration unidentified culprits involved in a blast in Spin Qabar area. An FC soldier was killed and another was injured in the blast.

L ashkar-i-Islam also claimed responsibility of the Spin Qabar blast.

Meanwhile, tribal elders have accelerated their efforts to soften the official stance by conveying to the administration that no contact of local tribesmen with LIhas so far been established.

They also tried to convince the political administration to withdraw the condition as majority of the LI sympathisers had either fled Bara since long or voluntarily surrendered to security force in the recent past with the help of tribal elders.

The administration is yet to respond to the requests of Malakdinkhel, Akkakhel and Sipah elders. However, security forces lifted curfew in areas of Malakdinkhel tribe and reopened Kohi Sher Haider Market after five days.

BAN: Authorities at Torkham border has imposed ban on unnecessary assembling of people.

A notice issued jointly by the political administration and Frontier Corps cautioned all and sundry to avoid unnecessary gatherings near the border. It said that the ban was imposed owing to sensitive nature of the border crossing to avoid any untoward incident.

The ban would apply on both the locals and Afghan nationals, crossing over to Pakistan. The notice informed the localcustom clearing agencies that none of their representative would be allowed to cross the border and come back to Pakistan without the newly issued Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cards or their valid national passports after August 15.

It said that passports would be surly stamped on every entry and exit. The political administration and FC have only in recent past started issuing RFIDs to local custom clearing agents and Afghan students studying in local schools to facilitate their repeated daily crossing of the border.

Officials said that over 200 Afghan students so far acquired RFID cards while a number of the clearing agents also got the cards.

Meanwhile, at least 35 illegal shops were demolished in Jamrud on Wednesday, the fifth day anti-encroachment drive.

Officials said that illegal shops and kiosks were main source of traffic congestion near the checkpost. They said that those structures also posed a security threat to FC and Khasadar personnel deployed on the checkpost.