Tribal rivalry: Police to get data on people from tribal areas living in Peshawar

The campaign comes in response to two blasts targeting tribal elders.

PESHAWAR: After rounding up 100 suspects, including foreigners, the city police have started an inspection campaign in the city, officials said on Sunday.

The suspects were taken into custody from unregistered madrassas operating across the city.

The police have now asked property dealers in the city to give them data on people living in rented houses in their areas.

The operation and campaign are in response to two blasts that apparently targeted tribal elders in the outskirts of the city in the beginning of February.

A local real state businessman on Kohat Road told The Express Tribune that all the property dealers within the jurisdiction of the Bhana Marhi police station were asked to report to the police station where a meeting was called by the concerned police officials.

“We were told to collect the data of tribesmen residing in our areas to search those people who have contacts with two banned organisations in the tribal areas,” he said.

A similar search campaign had taken place earlier in 2009 and 2010, he added.

Senior Superintendent of Police Tahir Ayub said the step is being taken to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control.

“See, residents of the tribal areas migrated to the provincial capital but now, people of both banned organisations are targeting each other and their disputes have reached to the settled areas.”

Thousands of families left their hometowns following the military operation in the tribal areas and due to the rivalry between banned organisations.

Some migrants were shifted to camps by the police, but others insisted on staying in Peshawar either with  their relatives on in rented houses.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2012.