3 injured as protesters, police scuffle in Shangla

BISHAM: The Karakoram Highway turned into a battlefield when thousands of people staging a protest sit-in against the unjust distribution of wheat flour scuffled with the police in Mera area of Bisham tehsil on Thursday.

The protesters led by the nazims of various village councils affiliated with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz blocked the highway for over five hours for vehicular traffic against the unfair distribution of flour sanctioned by the government.

Three persons also sustained injuries when people pelted police with stones while police baton-charged the protesters and fired teargas and shots into the air to disperse the people. The local residents said that thousands of people from Mera and adjoining areas took to the Karakoram Highway to protest favouritism in the distribution of flour.

They said that local nazims of village councils, including Shahzeenat Khan, Ijaz Khan and others were leading the protesters. The protesters placed boulders of stones on the Karakoram Highway and blocked its traffic due to which long queues of vehicles bound for Gilgit-Baltistan from Rawalpindi were seen on both sides of the road.

The passengers and motorists going to and from Gilgit-Baltistan faced great hardships due to the blockade of the highway for over five hours.The police held talks with the protesters to open the road but they were adamant not to allow a single vehicle to pass through the area.

Three persons sustained injuries when some of the protesters threw stones at the police, while the police baton-charged the protesters and fired teargas and shot into the air to disperse the angry protesters.

The police also arrested three protesters, who were later released after the elders held talks with the police and ended their protest sit-in.The protesters said that Mera had a population of over 50,000 people but the government had established a single point for the distribution of flour due to the local residents faced hardships to receive flour.The administration assured the protesters that more distribution points would be opened to facilitate the people in receiving the staple food.