Tribesmen allege police crossing into Frontier Region

Police say operation against drug dealers carried out in settled parts

PESHAWAR: A lawman has come face to face with drug pushers on the streets with the question of turf.

SHO Mattani Ibrahim Khan has launched a drive against sale of drugs on a particular road that lies on the border of settled area, which is his jurisdiction and the frontier region where political administration runs the affairs.

Sale of drugs is crime on this side of the road and permissible on the other. His actions have led to lots of criticism.

Capital City Police Chief Muhammad Tahir Khan has ordered a drive against drug pushers and open sale of drugs on the streets of Peshawar.

Tribesmen from Darra Adam Khail in Frontier Region (FR) Kohat have asked the provincial police chief to restrict SHO Mattani police station from raiding areas out of the police station’s jurisdiction.

A representative body of the tribal people in FR Kohat, Akhurwal Union, alleged that SHO Ibrahim Khan was crossing the boundary line between the settled and tribal areas and arresting people.

“The crimes for which SHO Ibrahim is arresting our people are out of his jurisdiction,” Akhurwal Union Chairman Malak Lal Saeed told The Express Tribune.

Since Darra Adam Khail’s affairs were being run by the political administration, in case for any untoward incident, the locals would have to face the music as per the collective punishment under the draconian FCR. “If anything happened to him (SHO Ibrahim) or God forbid if someone attacked him, the area residents will bear the brunt because the political administration will arrest the area residents,” Saeed said.

He reminded that under the FCR, crime committed in an area becomes the collective responsibility of the tribesmen and they have no recourse to appeal, wakeel and daleel (the right to request a change to a conviction in any court, the right to legal representation and the right to present reasoned evidence, respectively).

He said that SHO was involved in illegal raids and arresting people, charging them under different sections of law.

Police story

On the other hand, SHO Mattani Ibrahim refuted the allegations. “Why would I create problems for myself by going inside the tribal areas, since I have nothing to do there,” Ibrahim said.

“Yes, I will never tolerate someone selling drugs in my jurisdiction,” the SHO said. He has launched a crackdown on sale of narcotics in his area.

Ibrahim said that drug trafficking, sale and abuse have spiralled out of control creating a social and economic mess.

Everybody gives sermons on drug control, but no one acts and when police takes action there is a hue and cry over jurisdiction, brutality, and limits of the police station.

He informed that such was the state of drugs on streets that children were selling hashish on Alizai Road located on boundary line with Kalakhail area of the FR Kohat and he will never let this open sale of narcotics to continue.

On this side of the road is police jurisdiction and on the other is the frontier region, they just run away to another jurisdiction when they see the cops coming.

However, Ibrahim asserted, he only catches people selling drugs in his remits. “Who on earth will create headache for himself by increasing his area of jurisdiction,” he said adding that increased jurisdiction means responsibility and accountability for that area.

As far as his turf was concerned, Ibrahim said operation against drug dealers will continue. “Labourers toil all day for wages as low as Rs500 per day and then come to Alizai Road for buying hashish,” he said.

The drug menace has been eating away the social fabric for decades, the seasoned cop said. “Not only adults, but schoolchildren were falling prey to drug abuse,” he said adding he was ready to face his officials and was always available to identify his area of jurisdiction.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2017.