Protest in Parachinar after two killed in firing on coach

HANGU: Two people were killed and four others injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a flying coach at the Kotaki area of the Hangu district, police officials said on Wednesday.

District Police Officer Nisar Ahmad Khan told the media the coach was heading to Parachinar from Peshawar via Hangu when miscreants opened fire on the vehicle.

He said two people lost life in the firing while four others suffered serious injuries.

The slain persons were identified as Adnan Khan, a resident of Nowshera, and Tauqeer Sajjad from Parachinar. The injured persons were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital in Hangu.

A protest was staged in Parachinar to register anger at the incident. The main bazaar in the town remained shut to mourn the loss of lives.

The body of Tauqeer Sajjad was taken to the Press Club in Parachinar in a procession where a protest was staged. Religious scholars and a large number of people turned up there.

Speakers including Inayat Ali Turi, Agha Tajamul Hussain, Agha Akhlaq Hussain Shariati and others condemned the incident.

They said Kurram district had been witnessing such incidents frequently but the rulers had failed to act. The speakers called for securing the highways and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.

Meanwhile, a grand jirga of Shia and Sunni elders was convened where the participants vowed to maintain unity for peace in the area.

Deputy Commissioner Haider Hussain and DPO Nisar Ahmad Khan spoke to the participants of the jirga. They said the local people and elders had a central role to play in keeping peace in the area.

The officials said the firing was a bid by the terrorists to disrupt peace. They assured that the culprits would be arrested soon.