Peshawar Commissioner takes notice: price checking team attacked, taken hostage briefly

Commissioner, Peshawar Division has taken exception to attack and making of the special magistrate and his staff hostage for a period of two hours by some influential here on Thursday. The hostage magistrate and his staff released in a joint action initiated by Police Station Chamkani in the presence of Assistant Co-ordination Officer (ACO), Habib Arif. The commissioner has taken strict notice of the incident and has directed the arrest of all five accused within 24 hours.
According to details, some residents of Jhagra, G T Road have complained to District Co-ordination Officer (DCO) Peshawar Mohammad Javed Marwat regarding ineffective price checking in the area and overcharging by the shopkeepers. On the request of the notables of the area, DCO directed Special Magistrate, Niamatullah Khan for initiating crackdown on the profiteers of the area. For confirmation of the complaint, Special Magistrate himself went for shopping to Jhagra Bazaar as ordinary shopper and confirmed the complaint.
Later, he called his mobile squad and started arresting profiteering shopkeepers on which a local, who was identified as Mustaqeem entered into arguments with special magistrate and while interfering in the official duty he declined to checking and directed for the downloading of the arrested shopkeepers from the mobile van and on refusal, he along with 120 other people attacked Special Magistrate, resorted to aerial firing and released all arrested persons. They later also made special magistrate and his staff as hostage.
On receiving report of the incident, ACO Habib Arif along with heavy contingent of police personnel of Chamkani Police Station rushed to the venue. But, in their bid to avoid arrest, the accused left special magistrate and personnel of mobile squad. DCO Peshawar has presented report of the incident to Divisional Commissioner and the later while taking strict notice of the incident has directed the former, SSP Operation and ACO for arresting the involved persons within 24 hours and registration of case against under three MPO.