Protest against killing of 4 youths continues in Bannu

BANNU: A large number of people continued their protest against the killing of four youths for the fifth consecutive day and refused to bury the bodies on Thursday.

Massive protests erupted after the villagers found four bodies of youths dumped at a graveyard in Wazirwarigani village in Janikhel Seentanga area in Utmanzai subdivision in the district on Sunday last.

The locals said that unidentified persons had shot dead the young men, whose ages were between 18 and 20 years, and then dumped the bodies in the graveyard in Wazirwarigani village in Janikhel Seentanga area. One of the bodies was stated to be headless.

Provincial Minister for Transport Malik Shad Muhammad Khan and deputy commissioner had earlier visited the sit-in and held talks with elders but failed to make any breakthrough to end the protest and persuade the relatives to bury the bodies.

The protesters also announced to shift the bodies to Peshawar and Islamabad to stage a stronger protest against the government and its police and security institutions.

Malik Shad Muhammad Khan, ex-lawmakers Azam Khan Durrani, Adnan Wazir, Malik Mamoor Wazir and local leaders of almost all the political parties were attending the sit-in against the killing of youths and indifferent attitude of government officials. The protesters said that several military and police operations were conducted against the militants and terrorists in the area but still incidents of kidnapping and killing were happening on a daily basis.