PESHAWAR: A man was killed and a security official suffered injuries in a firing incident in Ghazikhel village of Urmur area here on Tuesday night.

The local police claimed said the incident occurred as a man opened fire on the Pakistan Army’s personnel, who had rushed to the village after receiving firing reports.

They identified the deceased as Zafar Ali and the injured as naib subedar of Pakistan Army Amanat.

In a statement, the city police insisted that the army personnel rushed to Ghazikhel village on the reports of firing but came under attack from the armed suspects after reaching there.

They added that the firing left one of the attackers dead and an official of the Pakistan Army injured.

A police official told Dawn that the police and the army were returning from a search and strike operation in the area when they heard gunshots and rushed there but found out that a wedding ceremony was under way.

He added that when the security personnel reached the function, the man, who was firing in the air, tried to flee by scaling a wall, and opened fire on them.

The official said the armed man got struck by a bullet fired by his own weapon or that of a participant of the wedding ceremony.

He said in the morning, the family and other villagers took the body to the local police station and staged a protest demanding the registration of an FIR of the firing incident.

The official said when the police and local elders held talks, a mob, which had followed the body, entered the police station and vandalised the building causing minor damages.

The official said the police registered an FIR against 200-300 people for the attack. However, no arrests were made.

He said the police would add the version of other protesters in the FIR as two FIRs couldn’t be lodged about one incident in light of the Supreme Court’s directions.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2021