LAKKI MARWAT: The killing of a 22-year-old man in an alleged police encounter sparked a protest by local residents in the Manjiwala area on Monday.

The protesters, including the relatives of the deceased, brought the body to Manjiwala Chowk and blocked the Peshawar-Karachi highway, disrupting vehicular traffic.

The demonstrators claimed that the deceased, Asif Ali, a cattle trader, was an innocent citizen and demanded action against the responsible police officials.

A relative of the deceased claimed that on Sunday night, Asif Ali was returning to his village on a motorcycle after watching a kabaddi match when the police shot and killed him. He added that the deceased had no connection to terrorism, as alleged by the police, and was a well-known figure in the locality.

Local elders stated they would continue protesting until authorities assured justice for the victim’s family. The Peshawar-Karachi highway, a vital route connecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to southern parts of the country, remained blocked for nearly seven hours, causing long queues of public and goods transport vehicles and inconvenience for commuters and transporters.

The deceased’s funeral prayer, attended by a large crowd, was held on the highway. The road was reopened after successful negotiations between area elders, local administration and police officials.

On the other hand, police claimed that the deceased was a terrorist and a close associate of terrorist commander Inamullah, alias Lamba.

In a statement, police said they had launched an operation after receiving credible information about the presence of the commander, along with Wilayat and Asif Ali, in the Shagai area, where they were allegedly planning attacks on police and security forces.

According to the police, the operation, conducted by police and CTD commandos in the remote rural locality, resulted in the killing of Asif Ali.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2024