KOHAT: The high-ups of the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA), Karak, ordered shutting down of all municipal services in protest on Monday after police mistook the TMA staff for a disguised group of dacoits and assaulted them while they were collecting cess from transporters on last Saturday night.

Addressing a press conference, Tehsil Municipal Officer (TMO) Amjid Khan said that TMA staffers were drawing additional cess from the truckers as ordered by the provincial government to make up for the outstanding wages of the TMA employees.

He lambasted the local police for insulting him, the high-ups of the local council board and the officials of the LG department.

The incident occurred due to misunderstanding as TMA employees, dressed in proper formal uniform with orange jackets, were mistaken by the police for highway robbers. Despite the employees` attempts to identify themselves, the police confiscated their receipt books and continued to assaultthem.

TMO said that he had called an emergency meeting of all the staff and expressed anger over the highhandedness of the police officials, and he decided to register an FIR against the SHO of the police station concerned and his subordinates.

It is worth mentioning here that the TMA has been experiencing major financial crunch and the employees` salaries have not been paid for the past five months.

FREE MEDICAL CAMP: At least 894 patients, including women and children, were examined during a free medical camp organised in Arakhel Jawaki area.

The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited, Kohat Cement Company, the district headquarters hospital and doctors and paramedics of Combined Military Hospital (CMH) attended the camp.

Announcements were made through loudspeakers of the mosques in the area after which flocks of poor patients came to attendthemedicalcamp.-Correspondent