Torkham custom officials tortured truck driver

LANDIKOTAL: Customs officers brutality tortured a local driver over not paying them bribe at Torkham border.

Noor Habib, resident of Sheikhmalkhel in Landikotal, told a press conference held here on Tuesday that he was driving his ghee truck  back from Afghanistan unloaded ghee in Kabul. He said Pakistan custom officials stopped his truck at Torkham border and demanded hundred rupees bribe from him. Upon his denying, the driver said at least twelve customs officials beaton him with sticks and iron rode.He said one of his arms is broken and received multiple injuries.
Noor Habib said he submitted his application against the culprits in Landikotal administration office but yet they not taken action on his complaint.
The driver said that he was the lone bread feeder of his family now disabled.
Noor Habib demanded of the governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan's customs high command to take serious notice of the incident.
Drivers and trade union leaders including Mokran Khan, Muhammad Jan and Shah Zaman condemned such brutality by the custom officials.They said Pakistan Custom officials at Torkham border had been collecting million of black money from the truck drivers and businessmen. Muhammad Jan said if the authorities failed to stop bribe taking at Torkham border would hurt trade relationships with Afghanistan.
It may be added here that thirteen checkpoints had  been constituted in one kilometer distance from the border gate to collect black money from the loaded and unloaded trucks from and to Pakistan.
This correspondent made several attempts to take version of the high custom officials in the case but they did not respond to the phone calls.