Up in arms: Protests held against TMA for lodging ‘fake’ case

Authority accuse local journalist, councillors of stealing electricity transformer

SWABI/ PESHAWAR: A protest was held against Topi Tehsil Municipal Authority (TMA) at Aman Chowk, Swabi on Monday. Those protesting included journalists, political representatives and social activists.

The TMA had registered a case against the protesters, accusing them of stealing a newly installed electricity transformer.

During the protest, speakers urged the deputy commissioner to take action against the Topi TMA and also start an enquiry against the area’s DSP for lodging a fake case.

They also requested the Peshawar High Court chief justice to start a judicial enquiry into the matter.



A week earlier, a transformer was installed by local representatives after receiving orders from Topi naib nazim Younas Khan. The old transformer was replaced, but that was not the way matters were seen by the TMA nazim. He and a security guard lodged a case with the Topi police against local journalist Said Arif Shah, nazim Tahir Shah and Liaqat Khan. Also accused of the so-called theft were councillors, including Wazir Bahadur, Farman Bahadur, Noor Zaman Khan, Shamsul Qamar, Abdul Wahid and Topi former municipal chairperson Gohar Rehman.

Consequently, police personnel raided their houses and also used abusive language. An application was also submitted to a Swabi additional sessions judge.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12^th, 2016.