July 29, 2003	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 28, 1424

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PESHAWAR, July 28: Angry people ransacked government offices and torched a vehicle of Frontier Corps in Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram Agency, on Monday to protest against the murder of a tribesman who was reportedly shot dead by the levy force in the agency.

The administration has imposed curfew in Parachinar after it failed to quell violence.

Sources said clashes erupted in the Parachinar town, some 200 miles from here, after the levy force opened fire on a fleeing non-customs duty paid vehicle.

Eyewitnesses told Dawn by telephone that driver Syed Murtaza Hussain sustained bullet injuries and died on his way to the agency headquarters hospital.

“Violence has spread to the entire town and the administration is unable to control the situation,” a witness told Dawn.

The news of tribesman’s killing caused unrest among the local people who assembled outside the hospital from where they took Murtaza Hussain’s body to the office of the political agent to protest against the “highhandedness” of the levy force.

The sources said the levy force opened fire on Mr Hussain’s vehicle when he tried to flee along with his non-customs duty paid vehicle. The protesting demonstrators turned into a mob when they reached the agency headquarter’s offices, situated near the Afghan border.

The protesting tribesmen ransacked the main offices of the agency administration, set on fire official record, an FC vehicle and the judicial lock-up.

Reports from the troubled area said that some of the shops in the main Parachinar bazaar were also ransacked and looted by unidentified tribesmen.

Soon after the incident the administration called out Kurram Militia to restore law and order in the area. The law enforcement agencies also fired some shots into the air near the political agent office to disperse the protesters.

The sources said the political administration had started a campaign against non-customs duty paid vehicles in the agency. The drive had been launched on the directives of Assistant Political Agent Kafayetullah Khan.

CURFEW IMPOSED: The administration clamped curfew in Parachinar town after eight-hour violence.

Reports from Kurram Agency’s headquarters said the administration imposed curfew after its failed to quell the violent protest launched by local tribesmen.

The administration called out Frontier Corps and levies and was making announcements through loudspeakers, asking the people not to come out of their houses.

Before imposition of the curfew, the security forces resorted to aerial firing to disperse a mob which attacked the building of National Bank of Pakistan in the heart of the town.

All exit/entry points in Parachinar have been sealed. Till the filing of this report none of the political officials, including the political and assistant political agents, were available for comments.