Khasadars' illegal checkpost abolished at Torkham border

LANDIKOTAL: The Khyber Agency political administration abolished a check post at the Torkham border established illegal by the Khasadar force some time ago.

Assistant Political Agent Landikotal, Muhammad Tayyab Abdullah confirmed the illegal abolition of the check post and said that he also removed two other Khasadar officials and six of their subordinates from the check post. He said that check post were commonly known as Qosay (narrow street) wala check post.

The official said that his administration had in recent days received a number of complaints about Khasadar involvement in accepting bribes from hand cart owners who would secretly carry item of daily use across the border to Afghanistan.

"All such items are lawfully and regularly exported to Afghanistan through the main border crossing and thus their was no justification of establishing a check point only few meter short of the main border crossing", he said and added that he ordered immediate abolishing of the check point and directed  tehsildars of both Landikotal and Torkham to strictly abide by the official orders.

Tayyab Abdullah cautioned of strict disciplinary action against Khasadar official who dared revival of the disbanded check post. "The Qosay Wala Checkpost had earned a lot of notoriety as most Khasadar officials would struggle hard for their posting on the said post due to its lucrative nature".

Tayyab Abdullah said that a notice board would soon be affixed at the entry of the narrow street where the check post was established, warning both Khasadar and small-time smugglers to abandon their unlawful activities. 

The administration had some six months back affixed similar notice boards at three check points along the Peshawar-Torkhum highway, urging the general public to apprise the local officials about any wrong doings or ill treatment of transporters by the khasadar force. 

Sources at the Torkham border said that Khasadar officials posted at the said post would "charge" every hand cart Rs. 500 to Rs. 10,000 keeping in view the 'stuff' they would carry to Afghanistan.