Three killed as protest turns violent in Shangla

SHANGLA/ALPURI: Three people were killed and 30 others, including seven cops, sustained injuries when the situation, during a protest staged by the supporters of PTI-backed candidate, turned ugly. The activists were protesting against the delay in releasing the results.

The police, however, confirmed the death of two persons. Four of the injured were critical and were referred to the Saidu Teaching Hospital, Swat. The PTI-backed candidate Syed Farin had given the call for the protest on Thursday.

Former National Assembly candidate Nawaz Mehmood is also among the injured. The police took more than three dozen PTI workers into custody. Tensions ran high in Shangla as a large number of PTI workers from across the district reached Alpuri, the headquarters of Shangla, where they staged a protest, demanding the issuance of Form-45. The protesters blocked the Alpuri-Basham road at 6am due to which hundreds of vehicles were stuck on both sides of the highway.

Syed Farin and other PTI leaders addressed the protesters, who staged a sit-in. The protesters started marching towards the office of district returning officer at 4pm when they were stopped by the police, ensuing a clash. The PTI workers pelted the cops with stones. The police used teargas shells to disperse the protesters.

PTI workers Hassan, son of Ziaur Rehman, and Mohsin, son of Habib Moula, lost their lives in the clash. The angry protesters set ablaze the car of an assistant returning officer for NA-11. The police also carried out checks on the entry and exit routes of the district to control the situation.

Political leaders expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives and called for restraint to bring the situation under control. PMLN’s Amir Muqam was declared winner on the lone NA seat of Shangla, securing 59,863 votes against 54,311 of Haji Syed Afreen, a PTI-backed candidate.