MPA among 8 protesters booked for blocking road in Hangu

HANGU: The police on Monday registered the first information report (FIR) against eight tribal elders, including the newly elected Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) for blocking the road in Babar Mela to protest the disconnection of power supply to their area in Orakzai district last week.

The FIR copy obtained by The News stated that the people of Chapar Mishti in Orakzai tribal district led by the elders, including MPA-elect Syed Ghazi Ghazan Jamal, came to Hangu district and blocked the Hangu-Orakzai road at Babar Mela on August 13 to protest against the officials of the Tribal Area Electric Supply Company (Tesco) for disconnecting power supply to their area.

The Hangu City Police registered the FIR under sections 147, 149 and 341 against the MPA-elect and seven other elders, including Habib Noor, Haji Qasim Gul, Khan Zaman, Zahoor, Mir Badshah, Ismail Khan and Rehan Khan for staging protest and blocking the road due to which the passengers and people had to suffer.

It further stated that the officials of the Hangu district administration tried to convince the elders to open the road, but they refused to do so. Taking notice of the situation, the district administration finally directed the police to lodge the case against the elders including Ghazi Ghazan Jamal, who had won the election last month from PK-110 Orakzai for violating the law. Meanwhile, Ghazi Ghazan Jamal and Haji Habib Noor said that they had come to the venue of the protest to talk to the protesters and resolve the issue. They said they were not taking part in the protest. “We are public representatives and we have to go along with the people to resolve their problems. It’s really beyond our comprehension why we have been nominated in the FIR,” said the MPA-elect Ghazi Ghazan Jamal.