GILGIT, Oct 31: The president of Pakistan People’s Party, Northern Areas, and former member of Northern Areas Legislative Council, Syed Jafar Shah, has called upon the government to constitute a high-powered and impartial committee to probe into the incidents of violence of Oct 13.

At least 10 people, including two personnel of the rangers, were killed.

Mr Shah condemned the killing of civilians which he termed barbaric. Mr Shah claimed that civilians were fired upon for nine hours. Civilians were being targeted with bullets purchased from taxpayers’ money, he added.

The PPP leader said this was a flagrant violation of human rights and local police were pressurized not to lodge FIR against the killings. He lamented that the senior officials did not take notice of this gruesome incident and this created fear among the people.

Mr Shah observed that this violence occurred when a jirga comprising local notables was trying to reduce tension and restore peace.

He said the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and BBC radio in their recent commentaries observed that the people of Northern Areas wanted to do away with 58-year-long bureaucratic regime in the region and wanted to become part of Pakistan.

He called upon the government to stop such acts and punish those responsible for that.