KOHAT: Two men belonging to the Shia community were shot dead inside a medical store at the city’s Pesha­war square on Tuesday.

Protests broke out in different parts of the city following the firing incident which created tension in the city and led to closure of some markets.

The markets were reopened after the administration assured the business commu­nity that they would be provided complete protection.

District Police Officer Javed Iqbal said that unidentified motorcyclists seen in CCTV footage entered the Bashir medical store and shot dead Irtaza Hassan, a resident of KDA Town, and his partner Syed Mir Hassan, hailing from Ibrahee­mzai, Hangu district.

In the CCTV footage received by Dawn, a man holding a pistol was seen running towards the girls’ degree college in the area. He sat down behind his accomplice on a motorcycle and they immediately sped away.

A traffic warden seen in the footage was trying to capture the man holding the pistol, but he missed him. Some people in the market were also seen running towards the suspects.

The bodies were shifted to KDA Teaching Hospital and later handed over to the victims’ families.

Relatives of the victims took the bodies to Peshawar Chowk and held a protest against the administration. They criticised the administration for failing to protect the life and property of the people.

The charged protesters pelted shops in the area with stones after which traders closed their shops and held a protest outside the tehsil municipal administration’s building.

Because of the mounting tension in the city, the administration deployed a heavy contingent of police with armoured vehicles in the affected area.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2020