PESHAWAR - A senior lawyer of Peshawar High Court was shot dead by armed assailants at Nothia Bazaar in Saddar area on Monday. In retaliation, heirs of the deceased attacked and set on fire houses of alleged killers.
As per details, some armed men opened indiscriminate fire on a senior lawyer identified as Niazmeen Shah in Nothia Bazaar, killing him on the spot. The killers then managed to escape from the scene.
The incident created panic among the people in the bazaar as there was a huge rush at the time of the happening. It has been reported that motive behind the killing of Niazmeen Shah is an old enmity.
To take the revenge, enraged family members and heirs of the deceased attacked houses of the alleged killers, ransacked and later set on fire their houses situated at Kotla Mohsin Khan. No casualty was reported, however, the valuables there gutted into ashes. Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 rushed to the site and extinguished the fire.
The situation remained tense in the locality and to avoid any untoward incident, policemen were deployed there. Police high-ups while taking note of setting on fire the houses ordered for the arrest of the perpetrators.
To condemn the killing, a strike would be observed today (Tuesday) on the call of PHC Bar Association. The PHCBA strongly condemned the assassination of the lawyer. The lawyers would boycott the proceedings of the courts across the province. The BHCBA demanded the government to provide security to lawyers and apprehend the killers of Niazmeen Shah immediately.
14 kidnapped coalminers
recovered
Law enforcement agencies on Monday recovered 14 coalminers, who had been abducted from a coalmine in Darra Adam Khel area of district Kohat on Sunday evening.
Sources said that all the 14 miners had been kidnapped on Sunday evening from Hafiz-ur-Rehman coalmines, after having an exchange of hot words with other miners in Zarghon Khel area of Darra Adam Khel.
Personnel of Levies and Khasadar forces launched a joint operation in Dongay area to recover the miners. Sources said that the kidnappers abandoned the miners in Dongay and fled.
Sources said that all the kidnapped miners belonged to district Shangla and Kohat. It has also been reported that the miners had been kidnapped for ransom. The law enforcers arrested two accused in the action. Besides, ammunition, hand grenades, pistols and masks were found in the area where the miners were kept.
Two of the kidnapped miners had managed to escape in the darkness of the night and had alerted the authorities who then conducted the rescue operation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan had taken notice of the incident and instructed the authorities to ensure the safe return of the miners, besides had also ordered for immediate arrest of the perpetrators.
