TIMERGARA: Decomposed body of a seven-year-old child was recovered from an orchard here on Saturday, sparking widespread anger across the Lower Dir district.

The child identified as Zaid of Kadh village had been missing since Dec 25, 2017.

The Haya Serai police had registered the case in this regard.

People angry at police failure to trace minor

Someone informed the imam of a local mosque through a letter about the presence of the body in a cave at an orchard owned by Mohammad Nawaz.

The prayer leader informed the police which recovered the decomposed body which was identified through the child’s shoes.

An official of Lower Dir police said the samples from the body had been sent for DNA test. The police claimed to have arrested two suspects.

The news spread like forest fire and people from nearby areas thronged the house of the victim.

MNA Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, district nazim Mohammad Rasool Khan, and police officers visited the house of Rahimullah, father of the child, and expressed sympathy with the family.

The MNA said the IGP should take notice of the cruelty and initiate an inquiry into the case. He termed the incident as inhuman and immoral and said the killers deserved severe punishment.

The JI youth organisation also held a meeting at Timergara and said the incident was a scar on the face of KP’s model police which failed to trace the missing boy in two months.

Social and political activists also expressed concern and anger over the incident and blamed the Lower Dir police for failure to trace the missing child in more than two months.

DOCTORS PROTEST: On the call of the local chapter of doctors’ association, the staff of district headquarters hospital, Timergara, on Saturday observed boycott and locked the OPD against what they called political interference in hospital’s affairs.

The doctors and paramedics also held a rally against the PPP district councillor Alam Zeb and his workers for unnecessarily interfering in their duties. Only emergency cover was given to patients.

Alam Zeb had led a protest against the hospital staff for their alleged negligence, causing death of a minor child the other day.

The doctors alleged the PPP leader had been insulting the staff and causing the locals to agitate against the doctors.

Speaking on the occasion, president of the association Dr Nadar Khan, young doctors’ association president Dr Wahidullah and others condemned the PPP local leadership for ‘blackmailing and interfering’ in hospital affairs.

They demanded of the district administration to register an FIR against the PPP councillor, otherwise, they would continue the protest.

Meanwhile, district nazim Mohammad Rasool Khan and deputy commissioner Sarmad Saleem Akram reached the hospital and held talks with the protesting staff for ending the boycott.

The protesters presented their demands and sought action against the PPP activist.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2018