Three stone-crushing plants torched in DI Khan

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Four men sustained injuries when armed men from the Shirani tribe allegedly burned three stone-crushing plants owned by the Miankhel tribe at the confluence of Draban and Frontier Region Shirani, sources said on Saturday.

The sources said that members of the Shirani tribe who came in several vehicles torched three stone-crushing plants and a truck loaded with sand over a land dispute.

The injured were taken to the nearby hospital. Soon after the incident, Assistant Political Agent Samiullah Khan, Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Sanaullah Marwat and Station House Officer Pervez Shah arrived at the spot along with a huge contingent of the police and Levies force.

Talking to reporters, elders of Miankhel tribe, including Salam Khan Advocate, Najeebullah Shah, Babar Khan Miankhel and Hidayatullah Advocate said the stone-crushing plants were established on the land owned by the Miankhel tribe.

They said the government had formed a commission in 1995-96 to resolve the land dispute.

The elders said the commission had decided that the land on which the stone-crushing plants had been set up was owned by the Miankhel tribe.

Salam Khan alleged that it was the third attack on the members of the Miankhel tribe by the Shirani tribesmen.

He said the Shirani tribe had also torched their three stone-crushing machines a month ago.

The elders alleged that officials from the Frontier Region Shirani also fired at the members of the Miankhel tribe.

They demanded that a case should be registered against the members of the Shirani tribe who set the stone-crushing machines on fire.

Meanwhile, tensions ran high as talks were being held to defuse the situation and bring it under control.