LANDI KOTAL: Mobile health teams sent by the Punjab government on Sunday completed four days of free medical camps organised in Jamrud and Bara tehsils of Khyber Agency to check the spread of dengue virus in the region.

Health of ficials said that as many as 1,837 suspected patients were checked for possible dengue virus infection in Jamrud and Bara of which 11 tested positive.

Agency surgeon Dr Niaz Afridi said that the mobile teams from Punjab came to Khyber Agency on the special request of Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra.

He said that special wards were created in all the three hospital in Jamrud, Bara and Landi Kotal to treat dengue-affected patients. He said so far no patient with dengue fever hadbeen admitted in any of the hospitals.

Dr Afridi rejected media reports aboutany deathcaused due to dengue fever in any part of Khyber Agency.

He said that nine of the total 14 previously registered dengue cases had travel history from parts of Peshawar.

PICNICKERS UNTRACED: The17 picnickers, who were abducted a week ago, are still untraced.

Family members of the abducted Shinwari tribesmen said that nobody had so far claimed responsibility for their abduction.

The group of 17 men hailing from Gagra and Adalkhad localities of Landi Kotal went missing on Sunday last.

One of their colleagues who managed toescapeinthe darkness on the first night later told security official that some armed men took them hostage at gunpoint and later took them to an unknown destination.

Meanwhile, a seven-member jirga, compri sing mostly elder s of f amilie s of the abducted men, had also gone to Nangrahar province of Afghanistan on Friday in order to approach militant groups operating in the border areas through Shinwari tribe elders residing on the Afghan side.