February 25, 2006	Saturday	Muharram 26, 1427

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

LANDI KOTAL, Feb 24: The Bara sub-division of the Khyber Agency remained tense for the second day as two more people were killed and 12 suffered injuries when rival groups clashed in two localities on Friday.

Armed supporters of Mufti Munir Shakir tried to set ablaze the house of Gujar Khan, a disciple of Pir Saifur Rehman, in the Yousuf Talab locality of Shalobar and a gunbattle ensued. Two of the Pir’s disciples, including one Haider Khan, were killed in the crossfire while at least a dozen others, including a woman, suffered injuries.

Supporters of Mufti Shakir had earlier torched the house of Maulana Mustamin Khan, naib amir of the Bara Peace Committee, in the same locality and allegedly made two of his relatives hostage.

Official sources in Bara said that another house was also looted in the same locality by the Mufti group.

PEACE COMMITTEE: Earlier, the Bara Peace Committee held a protest meeting at Arjali Nadi and condemned the killing of three of its activists by Mufti’s supporters in the Thursday’s armed clash near Qambarabad Market in Bara.

The committee members demanded that the administration should immediately expel Mufti Munir Shakir from Bara. They warned that any complacency on part of the administration would compel them to expel the Mufti by force.

MEETING: The NWFP governor told a meeting in Peshawar that it had become absolutely necessary for the government to take action in order to restore peace and avoid more bloodshed.

The meeting decided that punitive action be taken immediately against the Mufti’s group, said an official handout issued in Peshawar.

The political administration of the Khyber Agency was directed to issue notices to all inhabitants of the area to immediately clear their houses in order to minimize colossal damage.