MANSEHRA: The residents of Baffa, Tanda, Bajna and adjoining localities on Saturday blocked the Karakoram Highway and Hazara Expressway, demanding quashing of an FIR registered against protesters seeking an end to prolonged and unscheduled power outage.

“The Hazara Electricity Supply Company continuously suspended power supply to Baffa town and its adjoining localities for over 36 hours. When people took to the streets, its workers’ union lodged an FIR against me, which further agitated the people,” Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader and former provincial assembly candidate Abdul Shakoor Khan Lughmani told reporters.

The charged protesters set ablaze tyres and blocked the Karakoram Highway and Hazara Expressway. They were demanding registration of an FIR against office-bearers of the Hazeco workers’ union and their suspensions, who, according to them, had agreed to resolve the issue following the protest on Friday but later got an FIR registered against Mr Lughmani.

The protesters raised slogans in support of their demands and against Hazeco, saying they would resume their protest if police did not quash the FIR registered against Mr Lughmani and suspend the office-bearers of the workers’ union.

Baffa police had lodged the FIR against Mr Lughmani on Friday after protesters blocked the KKH and Hazara Expressway against the continued suspension of power supply to the people.

KILLED: Three brothers were killed and their nephew sustained injuries after their family refused to accept the demand of the alleged assailants to end an engagement that had been arranged in accordance with Kohistani customs and traditions six years ago.

“The alleged assailants asked the family to break off the engagement because they wanted the girl to marry one of them. However, the family refused, saying the demand was against their traditions. They were then attacked,” Superintendent of Police (City) Shahnawaz Khan told reporters on Saturday.

The incident occurred in the Karkala area within the jurisdiction of Lari Adda police station on Friday night when a group of armed men allegedly barged into the house of a Kohistani family that had been living in Mansehra for decades. They opened fire, killing three brothers and injuring their nephew.

According to the first information report (FIR), complainant Nadeem Gul stated that he had been engaged to a girl about six years ago in accordance with Kohistani customs and traditions. He alleged that Mohammad Naseem and Abdul Razzaq had repeatedly approached him to end the engagement, but he and his family refused.

“The assailants barged into our house and opened fire, killing my three brothers Mohammad Nazir, Gul Nawaz and Kaseer Gul and critically injuring my nephew before fleeing the scene,” he stated in the FIR.

After the completion of autopsies and other medico-legal formalities, the bodies were handed over to the family for burial.

Police registered an FIR against 11 suspects including two women, under Sections 302, 324, 452, 148, 149, 109 and 756 of the Pakistan Penal Code and conducted raids to arrest the accused.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2026