SHANGLA: Residents of Shang area of Shangla on Friday blocked the Karakoram Highway for three hours in protest against brutal murder of a five-year-old girl after her rape. Police officials said hundreds of enraged protesters blocked the KKH for over three hours in protest against the horrible murder of the child.

They chanted slogans against the accused and demanding his hand over to them for what they called lynching him to death.

Alpuri Tehsil Nazim Mohammad Tahir Khan, opposition leader in district council Sadeedur Rehman, district council member Sherin Zada Khan and family members of the slain girl were among the protesters.

The protesters said though the police had already arrested the suspect they wanted to lynch him to death publicly for the horrible crime. “The accused had attempted such cases earlier too and was a bad name in the society, so he deserves the severest of punishments,” Said Shan, a protester, said.

He said police should register a case against the accused under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner Bisham Javed Iqbal, DSP Bashir Khan and SHO Habib Sayed reached the site and began negotiations with the protesters. The protesters agreed to disperse after they were assured that the case would be referred to the anti-terrorism court.

Meanwhile, a man was killed by unknown people when he was going for Tarveeh prayers in Makra area of Puran on Friday.

SHO Sher Hassan told Dawn that Faredoon, 32, was allegedly shot dead by unknown people who fled from the scene after committing the crime.

Police lodged an FIR and began further interrogations.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2017