Islamabad [Pakistan], August 4 : Villagers in Pakistan's Lakki Marwat held a protest over the killing of a prayer leader and blocked the Indus Highway in the Malang Adda area on Wednesday, according to Pakistan-based Dawn.
Traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other regions of Pakistan was disrupted due to the protest. According to police, prayer leader Maulana Fazalur Rehman was shot dead and his associate was injured in a gun attack on the Tajori Road near Malang Adda.
The cleric's son, Ziaur Rehman, aged 15 was unhurt in the attack. Rehman told police that his father was taking Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 2.6 million cash in car to Tajori town when the gun attack took place, according to a Dawn report.
He said, "My father kept Rs 2.5 million in a bag and handed it over to me, while Rs 100,000 cash was in his pocket. Armed men riding two motorcycles snatched the bag from me after shooting my father dead." He further said that villager Alibat Khan was wounded in the attack.
After the gun attack, villagers arrived at Malang Adda and blocked traffic at Peshawar-Karachi Highway. The villagers even torched old tyres, Dawn reported. Marwat-Bitanni Tehreek chairman Inamullah said law enforcement agencies have not been able to provide security to people.
Inamullah said, "In the broad daylight, innocent citizens are being killed and looted in the area." He asked the government to permit people to keep weapons for their safety, as per the Dawn report. Later, a government team which included local police officers held talks with protesters.
The team assured the mob that attackers will be brought to book in 72 hours. The team said Bannu regional police officer Qasim Ali Khan had taken a serious notice of the incident. According to the team, a large contingent of police was in the region to find the attackers.
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