Residents block KKH to seek arrest of killers

MANSEHRA: The residents of Nakot and adjoining areas on Tuesday blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH) for hours to protest against the killing of a grade-9 student.

The angry protesters placed the body of Haseeb Shah, 14, on the road at College Chowk and blocked the highway for hours.

Haseeb Shah had gone missing from his home on Monday and his body was later found from a deserted place near Siran River in Nakot area of the district.

The passengers travelling within the district and between Gilgit-Baltistan and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained stranded for hours due to the protest.

The protesters demanded the arrest of four accused, whose names were revealed by the father of the victim to police. They also accused cops of Khaki Police Station of backing accused.

Meanwhile, District Police Officer Zaibullah Khan rushed to the scene along with police and held talks with Nazakat Shah, the father of victim and protesters. “We want an impartial inquiry into this incident as medical-legal formalities and autopsy were carried out and those behind this heinous crime would be brought to justice,” said the DPO.

The protesters agreed to reopen the KKH after the assurance by the DPO saying they would again block the main artery to traffic if suspects involved in the killing of Haseeb Shah were not arrested within the next 24 hours.

Residents demand link road along Hazara Motorway

The residents of Dodial and adjoining union councils on Tuesday staged a sit-in to demand a link road to connect their towns and villages with Hazara Motorway.

The protesters gathered at the under-construction Mansehra-Shinkiari section of Hazara Motorway compelling machinery and workers to suspend the work on the motorway for the entire day.