My way: Bannu tribesmen set up illegal checkpoint

Search for stolen goods, police reluctant to intervene.

BANNU:

Frustrated with local police regarding their failure to solve a recent robbery, dozens of armed Kaki tribesmen set up their own checkpoint on the main Hawaid Road in Bannu on Monday to search anyone going into Thap Thakthi Khel.

Malik Sher Khan, a prominent member of the group, said a tribesman from Kaki was stopped a few days ago and robbed in Thap Takhti Khel. The man was allegedly beaten while robbers snatched valuables worth hundreds of thousands of rupees from him. As per the traditions of the area, a jirga was convened and Thap Takhti Khel elders were asked to recover the looted valuables but they refused to do so. He added his tribesmen then approached DPO Iqbal Khan to recover the stolen goods but police could not do so.

We got our own back

Kaki tribesmen are now taking the law into their own hands. They believe their armed search operation is the only way to ensure that such incidents do not take place again. Each person going in and out of Thap Takhti Khel was being searched to recover the valuables in front of police officials on Monday.

According to the DPO, like most other militancy-hit areas of the province, the police have little control over law and order in the area.

“Police is unable to take action so we took the law into our own hands,” Malik Sher said. If we did not set up this checkpoint their people would keep being targeted by robbers, he added.

Malik Sher said they had picked up six Thap Takhti Khel tribesmen for questioning and impounded four motorbikes and five other vehicles, which will be returned after Kaki tribesmen recover the valuables stolen a few days ago.

“The abducted people were released four hours later but we will continue do this until the robber is handed over along with the stolen goods,” Malik Sher said.

Kaki police said they are reluctant to do anything about the illegal check post, as this was an issue between tribes that is being dealt with locally.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2014.