HARIPUR: Members of the Mashwani tribe here on Wednesday blocked the GT Road in protest against delay in arrest of a teenager’s killers.

The protesters who arrived in groups from different villages of Sirikot staged a sit-in at the Paniyan Chowk.

The protest started at around 3pm and ended at 7.30pm when the police officials gave them assurance about incorporation of terrorism sections in the FIR and arrest of the accused within a week.

The traffic remained suspended for over four and half hours on the road, stressing the commuters out as the protesters refused to disperse till the arrest of accused charged with the murder of Zohaib Shah 17, a son of a former Dheenda union council nazim.

The police said Zohaib, a student of the University of Haripur, was standing outside his house in Baso Maira village when unknown armed men opened fire at him. He was critically injured and succumbed to wounds on Jan 25.

PML-N Senator Pir Sabir Shah also attended the protest and expressed dissatisfaction over the police’s failure to arrest the accused.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2021