DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Relatives and local residents on Wednesday placed the bodies of four persons, who were killed over a land irrigation dispute here the other day, on Islamabad Road to protest the police ‘failure’ to arrest the attackers.

Four others were also injured in the firing. The deceased and the injured belonged to the same family.

The protesters reopened the road to traffic after three hours after district police officer Sajjad Ahmed held successful negotiations with them, assuring them that the culprits would be arrested soon.

MPA Makhdoom Syed Aftab Haider Shah, former MPA Ehtesham Javed Akbar Khan, PTI leader Syed Kamran Shah Zaidi and bar president Nazar Khan Niazi Advocate also participated in the protest.

Later, the deceased were laid to rest in their ancestral graveyard after their funeral prayers were offered.

Meanwhile, the police said a case had been registered against 10 suspects, and further investigation was underway.

As per the FIR, Ashiq Hussain, 26, Mohammad Amir, 40, Sanaullah, 40, and Nasrullah, 30, were killed in the firing.

The police have registered a case against Abdul Latif, Mohammad Sharif (sons of Ghulam Qasim), Mohammad Rafiq, Mohammad Nadeem, Mohammad Amjad (sons of Abdul Latif), Mohammad Saleem, Mohammad Waseem (sons of Mohammad Sharif), Hameedullah, Hidayatullah (sons of Mohammad Hashim), and Idrees (son of Mohammad Suleman), all residents of Bagwani Shumali area of Paharpur tehsil.

FESTIVE FIRING: The police have urged people to avoid festive firing and wheelie on Chand Raat and during Eid days in order to celebrate the religious festival in a peaceful manner.

A police official said regional police officer Syed Ashfaq Anwar had directed the police to curb festive firing as it could sometimes prove fatal, taking lives.

Police have also been directed to conduct awareness campaigns at the police station level to protect the public from this dangerous practice. The RPO has also appealed to religious scholars, local leaders, and civil society members to play an active role in preventing the festive firing.

The official said action would be taken against vehicles plying on roads with tinted glass, unregistered vehicles, and motorcycles without number plates.

“Strict measures will also be implemented against underage drivers, who usually resort to wheelie on such joyous occasions.”

He said a one-way system would be implemented in markets to control congestion and ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

Separately, the police on Wednesday safely disposed of about 15 kilogrammes of explosives seized in various operations by the Counter-Terrorism Department.

Bomb Disposal Unit in-charge Inayatullah Tiger said the explosive material that were destroyed included hand grenades, RPG, IED and others.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2025