PESHAWAR, Sept 15: A large number of people from Akora Khattak staged a demonstration outside the press club here on Thursday to protest against murder of four people on Aug 18. They called upon the government to prosecute the alleged killers under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Pir Zulfiqar Bacha, newly elected nazim of Akora Khattak union council, led the demonstration. He accused the provincial government of protecting the alleged killers, including area MPA Khalil Abbas, who sprayed their peaceful procession with bullets, killing four people on the spot and injuring nine.

The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans, demanding trial of the alleged killers in an anti-terrorism court and payment of compensation to the bereaved families.

The protesters raised slogan against the provincial government and accused it of siding with the alleged killers.

The protest demonstration continued for an hour.

Later, talking to journalists in the press club, Mr Bacha said that neither the chief minister nor any minister had visited the bereaved families and those injured.

He regretted that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government had ignored the Akora Khattak incident to protect the MPA and his accomplices involved in the killings.

The fathers and other relatives of the victims — Asif Khan, Wahid Khan, Raheel Qureshi and Tajammul Khan — were also present on the occasion.

They also alleged that the MMA government was providing protection to the alleged killers.

The Pir said that the alleged killers could not swallow the victory of his group and opened fire on their procession.

He said Akora Khattak had been the abode of sensible politicians and political workers and it had never witnessed the callousness demonstrated by the alleged killers belonging to a particular political group.

He said that the residents of Akora Khattak had rejected the terrorist gang and voted for him and given a political defeat to the tyrants of the area in the local body elections.