CM suspends officials manning illegal checkpoints

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Saturday paid a surprise visit to the motorway Toll Plaza without his security protocol and took notice of illegal checkpoints established by the Excise and Taxation department on the main road and issued suspension orders of the staff there.

Two years ago, the chief minister had taken similar notice of the illegal checkpoints established by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and Excise and Taxation department near the Toll Plaza and suspended the excise department staff.

He had also strictly prevented the two departments from setting up checkpoints on motorway and torturing passengers in the name of checking.

However, both of the departments again started similar activities by setting up checkpoints on the main road before crossing the Toll Plaza.

According to sources, the chief minister had received complaints from a large number of people regarding the misbehaviour of the staff manning these checkpoints, stopping them and wasting their time without any solid reasons.

Also, some of the people had accused staff of the checkpoints of collecting bribes from innocent people despite the fact their vehicles were properly registered and cleared by all the relevant departments.

The chief minister issued suspension orders of the staff there and ordered removal of all illegal checkpoints on motorway.

Mahmood Khan vowed he would remain in touch with the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and would not spare anyone creating problems and hardships for the people.

“The most painful and irritating thing is when you are in a hurry to attend a funeral outside Peshawar and you are stopped by these people at a checkpoint.

They have hundreds of ways to harass you and waste your time there,” remarked Hamid Khan, a resident of Peshawar.