CHARSADDA: A jirga on Sunday demanded a judicial inquiry into the killing of a young lawyer allegedly by police last week.

The jirga members and a large number of people also staged a demonstration, demanding justice for the family of Mian Asim Shah Kakakhel, who was allegedly killed by Charsadda city police station SHO Behramand Shah.

They raised slogans against the police’s ‘highhandedness’.

The protesters also demanded of the government to put the name of the SHO on the Exit Control List.

They also called for effectively implementing the Lawyers Welfare and Protection Act for the safety of lawyers. They said a police reforms committee should be formed to prevent the misuse of powers by police officers.

They demanded that Asim Shah Kakakhel should be recognised as a martyr at the official level and the heirs should be provided with official protection and justice.

The jirga members said that if any attempt was made to obstruct the delivery of justice or to save the accused, the entire Kakakhel community would approach the Peshawar High Court, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Pakistan Bar Council and other higher institutions using legal and constitutional means.

The jirga was attended by a large number of Kakakhel Sadat community members from across the province.

Mian Mohsin Shah, father of the deceased, Mian Feroz Shah Kakakhel, patron-in-chief of Kakakhel Sadat community, chairman Mian Naeem Akbar Bacha, MPA Mian Umar Shah Kakakhel, and others spoke, expressing grief over the lawyer’s murder.

They said that the Kakakhel Sadat community members wouldn’t rest until justice was provided to the family of the lawyer.

The speakers said that the Kakakhel jirga was not against the police department but was against the “killers” present in the force.

It was decided that a joint jirga would be formed to take up the matter with higher authorities.

On the occasion, MPA Umar Shah Kakakhel said he had already discussed this issue with the chief minister, who had expressed immense sorrow over the occurrence.

He said that a delegation of the grieving family would meet the chief minister soon to demand justice.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2025