BAJAUR: A woman was killed and her husband was seriously wounded when rival groups traded fire in the mountainous Barang tehsil of Bajaur tribal district here on Friday.

Local residents and the police said that the incident occurred in Kohisar village, when members of Zameen Khan and Gul Ameen Khan groups traded fire with atomic weapons over a land dispute.

They said that Mohammad Saeed and his wife, who were passing by the area, were hit by bullets. Both of them were critically wounded and were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital, Khar, for treatment. However, doctors pronounced the woman dead on arrival.

The police confirmed the incident and claimed to have arrested four persons.

According to a statement issued from the office of the district police officer in Khar, a team led by Barang police station SHO Sher Bahadar was immediately dispatched to the locality on the directives of DPO Abdul Samad Khan to arrest the people involved in the firing.

The statement said that the accused, identified as Jalbal Khan, Zameen Khan, Gul Ameen and Kashif Khan, were arrested.

The statement said that a case was registered against the accused.

According to the villagers, the members of the rival groups had been trading fire since Thursday evening.

They said the firing had caused fear among the villagers.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2021