BAJAUR: A youth was killed and three others were injured in exchange of fire between rival groups over a land dispute in Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur tribal district here the other day.

Residents and officials of district administration said armed men of Jabrai and Odigram tribes engaged in exchange of fire for three hours after elders of one of the tribes refused to accept the decision of a jirga on the disputed land.

They said members of the groups had taken positions in the mountains and used heavy weapons against each other. The residents said a youth identified as Mohammad Kashif, 22, was killed and three others wounded in the clash that started at about 9am on Monday.

A team of the administration and police officials led by assistant commissioner Hamza Zahoor visited the area and convinced the warring groups to cease fire.

A committee was also constituted to resolve the dispute peacefully.

Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday said they had arrested at least five persons from both the groups.

Separately, the residents of Nawagai tehsil on Tuesday warned to stage protests if women staff was posted to the Nadra’s swift registration centre in the region within a week.

Talking to reporters, they said the centre had been without female staff since its establishment 10 years ago. They added that male staffers dealing with women was against the Pakhtun customs.

Mohammad Shoaib Khan, a local elder, said appointment of female staff at the registration centre had been the longstanding demand of the people.

The residents said the district administration and Nadra authorities had promised appointing two female staffers to the centre, but to no avail. They pointed out that the centre had three sanctioned posts of women staffers.

“The people would hold protest demonstrations to force the relevant authority to appoint at least one woman staffer to the swift registration centre,” Imran Khan, a local resident, said.

A senior Nadra official at the Khar swift registration centre told Dawn on contact that the authority had approved appointment of a woman staffer at the Nawagai facility.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2021