SWAT: Five persons were killed and over a dozen sustained critical injuries when residents of Kalam and Utror areas traded fire over a disputed pasture on Saturday morning.
The Kalam police said four persons died from Utror and one from Kalam, adding the clash also left 14 persons from both the sides injured.
The injured people of Kalam were shifted to the Madyan and Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospitals, the police said, adding the people of Kalam attacked a police mobile when it was taking the injured people from Utror area to the Madyan hospital.
The people of Matiltan, an area near Kalam, said that there had been disputes between the residents of Kalam and Utror valleys over a disputed pasture locally known as ‘mugs pait’.
“A scuffle started between some farmers of Kalam and Utror in the morning at the disputed place, and later more people from the two areas got involved in the dispute and started firing,” said resident Hayat Mohammad Kalami.
People of Kalam and Utror valleys, according to residents of Matiltan, often engage in clashes over ownership of different pastures and sub-valleys.
District police officer Dilwar Khan Bangush said that a contingent of police along with Elite Force personnel led by SP Upper Swat had already reached the area to prevent further clashes.
“A jirga comprising elders from Matiltan and Ushu areas has also been sent to the area to pacify the situation,” he said, adding that the firing between the two sides stopped after the jirga members reached there.
Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2021
