Paramilitary officer, three children injured in Bara
By Our Correspondent
LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), April 22: A major of the Mehsud Scouts and three school students suffered injuries in crossfire between armed supporters of Lashkar-i-Islam and law-enforcement personnel in the Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency on Sunday.
Lashkar-i-Islam activists tried to take control of their opponent Pir Saifur Rehman’s house in Mandikas.
Law-enforcement personnel posted at the house resisted the move which resulted in the crossfire and Lashkar activists opened fire at one of the checkpoints of Mehsud scouts.
A major and three protesting school children suffered injuries in the three-hour fire exchange.
Hundreds of school children and armed supporters of Lashkar-i-Islam stormed the Bara bazaar in the morning and set the main tehsil, Qambarabad, Al-Haaj Market, Sheikhan and Qasaban checkposts of the Khasadar force on fire.
The protesters also ransacked a number of music and mobil phone shops.
The Khasadar and Levies force resorted to firing in the air and teargas shelling to disperse protesting students and Lashkar activists.
No arrests were however, made.
The local administration was able to bring the situation under control by mid day. But Bara Assistant Political Agent Attaur Rehman Aurakzai said that if required, curfew could be clamped down.
He said that the administration was exercising maximum restrain to avoid bloodshed and loss to private properties.
The Lashkar-i-Islam had a week ago warned of protests if their demands were not met by the local administration before Sunday.
Their demands included handing over of the property of Pir Saifur Rehman to the group, unconditional release of Mufti Munir Shakir and removal of FC personnel from their centre on Nala Malikdin Khel.
