BAJAUR: Gunmen killed a resident in the Inayat Kalli Bazaar here on Monday.

A police official told Dawn that Bashir Khan, 32, was attacked at around 11am when he went shopping.

He said that the gun attack left the man critically injured, who died at the district headquarters hospital in Khar. The official said that the body was sent to the deceased’s native Badan area in Mamund tehsil.

He said that the police had begun an investigation into the incident after the registration of the first information report.

The official, however, said that no one had claimed responsibility for the killing.

Meanwhile, traders of the Khar bazaar met deputy commissioner Mohammad Anwarul Haq in his office and demanded effective measures to improve the law and order situation in commercial centres across the district.

Officials of the district administration and police were also present in the meeting, according to a statement from the DC’s office.

Traders, who were accompanied by political leaders, complained about the poor law and order situation in the district, especially the growing incidence of targeted killings in bazaars.

They also said that a Khar bazaar trader, Samiullah, was killed by gunmen two days ago, spreading panic among other members of the trader community.

The traders said that poor security arrangements in bazaars had rendered the lives of traders vulnerable, and therefore, effective steps should be taken without delay to strengthen security.

They demanded the immediate arrest of gunmen for strict punishment.

The DC informed visitors that most of their demands were valid and that the district administration was striving to meet them.

He also said that an investigation into the trader’s killing in Khar bazaar was under way and once it was completed, the culprits would be brought to justice.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2024