Security officials met with tribal elders in Tirah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and announced compensation after seven people were killed in a protest after security forces opened fire to disperse the the crowd.
The protest, sparked by the killing of a young girl in an reported mortar strike in Darbar, Peer Mela, escalated when demonstrators clashed with security forces outside a military installation.
According to eyewitnesses and local sources, the situation became volatile when a large group of mostly young men ignored pleas from tribal elders to remain peaceful. They set fire to an excavator and attempted to breach the gates of the Brigade Headquarters in Bagh-Maidan Markaz. Security personnel responded by opening fire, resulting in the deaths of at least six protesters and injuries to seventeen others. One injured individual is reportedly in critical condition.
Videos circulating on social media appear to corroborate these accounts, showing the burning excavator and protesters throwing stones at the military installation before gunfire erupts. The injured were transported to various hospitals in Jamrud, Bara, and Peshawar.
While there has been no official statement from the local administration or military regarding the girl’s death or Sunday’s violence, security officials subsequently met with tribal elders. Compensation for the victims’ families was announced, both by security officials and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government (Rs10 million for the deceased and Rs2.5 million for the injured). The provincial government also stated its commitment to peace and announced a jirga to address the underlying issues.
The incident has prompted protests by local lawmakers demanding a transparent investigation into the events of Sunday. Residents of Peer Mela also allege that security forces’ mortar shelling in the area over the past ten days has resulted in additional casualties.
Separately, two security personnel were killed in a clash with militants in Chitral, near the Afghan border. Five others were injured in the exchange of fire.
