KHAR: A land dispute between rival groups claimed two lives in Bajaur Agency’s Salarzai tehsil here on Saturday.

Local people and officials of the political administration said that the incident occurred in hilly Kohi area, some 23 kilometres off here. The officials said that Khaista Mohammad (Havaldar at Bajaur Levies) along with his son, Ibrahim Khan, was working in his field when armed men of one Itbar Khan allegedly opened fire on them.

According to the officials, both the father and his son were critically wounded in the firing and died while being taken to the agency headquarters hospital in Khar for treatment.

People of nearby areas immediately reached the site, but the attackers had managed to escape.

The local people told reporters that the field in which the deceased were working had been contested by both the parties for last several years.

However, the locals said that the land dispute had been peacefully resolved in favour of the deceased by a jirga several days ago.

Meanwhile, a senior official of the local administration told Dawn on Saturday evening that nine persons of the rival group had been arrested. The official said a jriga comprising elders of Salarzai tribe had been formed for resolving the dispute.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2017