BAJAUR: A woman was killed and a child injured when unidentified assailants opened fire in Khar town of Bajaur tribal district here on Saturday.

Residents and Rescue 1122 officials said the incident occurred in Shalimar Cheena area.

They said the woman was fetching water for home at a spring when the attackers opened fire on her. They said the woman and a child passing by the area were wounded.

Rescuers took the woman and child to the District Headquarters Hospital, Khar, where doctors declared the woman dead.

Sources said the woman belonging to Lower Dir had been living in Bajaur for last two years after marrying of her choice. They said the victim’s husband was also shot dead by someone in Karachi a few days ago. A police official said they had registered a case and efforts were on to arrest the attackers.

Meanwhile, Sher Bahadar, the father of the wounded child identified as Ikramullah, demanded of the authorities to arrest the attackers.

Separately, relatives of the victims of the two boats, which capsized in Raghagan dam on Wednesday, demonstrated on Saturday against the slow pace of the search operation to trace the missing persons.

The protest was held in Raghagan area, the home town of provincial minister for zakat and ushr Anwar Zeb Khan.

The protesters dispersed after the provincial minister told them that more than 60 personnel of Rescue 1122 from Bajaur, Lower Dir, Swat and officials of Pak Army, Navy, police and other organisations were taking part in the search operation to fish out the bodies.

The minister said the provincial government had also approved a compensation amount for families of the deceased and injured persons.

Meanwhile, body of a victim was recovered on Saturday.

“We are pleased to announce that our workers have finally recovered the body of one of the three missing picnickers,” said Amjad Khan, Rescue 1122 in-charge, while taking to reporters at the operation camp established near the Raghagan dam.

The official identified the deceased as Rahatullah, 27, a resident of Shahsary area of Salarzai tehsil.

He hoped that bodies of the remaining victims would be recovered soon.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2021