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| Friday November 28, 2008 |
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Rocket attacks Whatever the factors responsible for the phenomenon, the rockets that fell in Saeedabad and near the central office of the ruling Awami National Party have variously been causing fear, anxiety and anger among the people and destruction of property. Local newspapers carried pictures of frightened residents sorrowfully examining the damaged portions of their homes. Law enforcing agencies as well as the residents initially said that they were unaware of the direction from which the rockets came but these did cause the damage and panic. For the last few days, the Capital City Police (CCP) have been unusually busy and overworked because it has mounted an operation clean-up against the anti-social elements on Warsak Road. The stretch of road starting from village Mathra on to the neighbouring area further towards the north remained under curfew so that unwanted people should not be able to move about with ease and comfort. CCP officials have also been preventing the entry of militants into Peshawar from Darra Adamkhel and Momand Agency sides. Police have also been fighting pitched battles with members of the organised gangs of kidnappers. This has understandably been causing frustration among the outlaws, who then try to seek vengeance and catharsis by resorting to indiscriminate firing of rockets into congested human settlements. Only the other day, enraged militants stormed, with rockets and bombs, the residence of the 'nazim' of Mattani Adezai. In a three-hour gun battle with the local vigilante group, the militants used lethal weapons causing casualties on both the sides. In an hour-long interview to a private television channel, Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti said that the provincial administration had tightened the noose around the neck of the militants and the firing of rockets on populated areas was a sign of their frustration. Like militants, the outlaws involved in 'kidnap-for-ransom' cases also find it hard to operate due to enhanced police vigilance. SSPs concerned can be seen patrolling the vulnerable areas early in the morning and late at night. In a dramatic shootout in Tajabad near Board Bazaar, mobile police party foiled an attempt at kidnapping by miscreants killing a proclaimed offender while capturing one of his accomplices in a wounded condition. Sustained efforts by police to combat urban crime will ultimately bring relief to the general public. |