PESHAWAR/DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Thousands of protesters broke through a police blockade in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday as they tried to march on the city of Bannu and then on to Islamabad to demand a government probe into the deaths of four young men who they allege were tortured and killed by security forces.
Police fired tear gas in an attempt to keep them from entering the city of Bannu, which lies on the way to Islamabad, on Sunday evening.
The protesters were carrying the bodies of the four young men, aged between 15 and 20, found in a shallow grave on March 21 in the town of Jani Khel, outside Bannu.
“The government didn’t pay any attention to us and left us alone to mourn the slain boys,” Hajji Mohammad Wali, one of the protesters, told Reuters by phone.
Relatives of the dead, alleging they died during interrogation by security forces, held a sit-in in Jani Khel for nearly a week, refusing to bury the bodies until an investigation was opened against an army officer they said was responsible.
A Pakistani military spokesman declined to comment about the incident on Sunday, and the military has not commented publicly on the case.
The central government has not commented on the case.
Officials of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, including Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, traveled to Bannu on Sunday to meet with protesters.
“This incident is a challenge for my government and law enforcement agencies,” Khan said in a statement, adding those responsible for the deaths will be held accountable.
The protesters said that after their demands for an inquiry went unheard they decided to march to Islamabad — 300 km (190 miles) away — and local police tried to stop them by placing barricades in Bannu.
The four dead boys had been missing for several weeks, according to their relatives. Relatives said their bodies bore signs of torture when they were found.
Protests were also held in the port city of Karachi on Sunday.
The town of Jani Khel is part of the former semi-autonomous tribal areas, a region along the Afghanistan border that served as a base for the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and other jihadist groups until a series of Pakistani military offensives drove them out.
Rights groups have accused the military of carrying out extrajudicial detentions and other abuses in the area — a charge the military has consistently denied.
Killing of youths sparks protests in northwest Pakistan
https://arab.news/md5qj
Killing of youths sparks protests in northwest Pakistan
- Thousands broke through a police blockade as they tried to march on the city of Bannu and then on to Islamabad
- Protesters are demanding a government probe into the deaths of four young men who they allege were killed by security forces
Pakistan deputy PM speaks with Iranian FM as Saudi Arabia intercepts missiles and drones
- Ishaq Dar expresses concern over evolving regional situation as both officials agree to remain in contact
- Pakistan earlier reminded Tehran of its mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia during diplomatic outreach
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday amid escalating tensions in the Gulf, including recent missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia that were intercepted by the Kingdom’s air defenses.
The call comes as Islamabad remains in contact with both Tehran and Gulf states to prevent the widening Iran conflict from spilling further across the region, particularly after attempted strikes on Saudi territory, a sensitive development for Pakistan, which signed a mutual defense pact with the Kingdom last year.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Dar raised concerns about the evolving regional situation during the conversation.
“Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar spoke this evening with the Foreign Minister of Iran, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The DPM/FM expressed concern over the evolving regional situation. The two agreed to remain in touch on the developments,” it added.
The ministry did not share details of the conversation, though it came amid fast-moving developments in the region, with Saudi Arabia saying its air defenses intercepted multiple missiles and drones early on Friday.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s adviser on political affairs Rana Sanaullah said Pakistan was in contact with Iran to discourage attacks on Gulf countries and prevent misunderstandings.
“Such attacks should not be carried out from Iran’s side,” he told Geo TV.
Prior to that, the deputy prime minister told Pakistan’s Senate that Islamabad had engaged both Iran and Saudi Arabia at the outset of Iran’s retaliation in the region, reminding Tehran of its defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and conveying assurances from Riyadh that Saudi territory would not be used against Iran.
Pakistan says its administration is striving to end the conflict, though the United States-Israeli strikes on Iran, which triggered the war and led to its spillover, have only intensified.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday some countries had begun mediation efforts but insisted Tehran would defend its sovereignty.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” on his Truth Social platform as the confrontation shows little sign of easing.
