BAJAUR: An exchange of fire between members of rival groups left five people injured in Bajaur tribal district’s Utmankhel tehsil here on Tuesday, Rescue 1122 and police officials said.

They told Dawn that the incident occurred over a land dispute in Gulshanabad area.

The police said that the firing erupted after some members of the rival groups came face to face while passing through a path. They said that five people from both the groups were injured in the clash.

According to a Rescue 1122 statement, the injured included Ismail Khan, 32, Hayatullah, 25 and Zakir Khan, 21. It said identity of the two other injured could not be ascertained. They were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Khar, for treatment.

A police official, who visited the area after the clash, told Dawn that they had made a temporary ceasefire between the rival groups with the support of some local elders. The official said that an FIR had also been registered against some members of the groups.

Meanwhile, the local residents said that the land dispute continued for past several years.

Also in the day, four people were injured in two road accidents on Tuesday.

In a statement, Rescue 1122 said that the first mishap occurred in Tangi area of Salarzai tehsil, when a loaded truck overturned on a road.

It said that two people, identified as Ikramullah, 40, and Obidullah, 34, were injured in the accident. They were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital, Khar.

Another accident occurred near the Khar Bazaar, when a motorcycle hit a roadside tree, injuring two people. The rescue statement said that both the wounded persons were transported to hospital, where their condition is stated to be out of danger.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2023