KHYBER AGENCY - The tribesmen of Bacha Mena Torkham staged a protest demonstration against Frontier Corps (FC) at Shaheed Morr accusing troops of showing lethargic attitude and not clearing a patient early due to which he could not get proper medical aid and died soon after arriving at hospital on Thursday.
Relatives of the deceased, Ajab Khan, claimed that last night the patient, a resident of Bacha Mena, had heart attack and his relatives were shifting him to health center for medical aid, however, because of hours-long identification procedure of FC officials at Shaheed Morr, he could not get timely medical treatment and expired soon after arriving at Landi Kotal Hospital.
Holding black flags, relatives of the deceased along with hundreds of residents of Bacha Mena and traders’ community of Torkham marched from the graveyard after offering funerals of deceased tribesman while chanting full-throat slogans against the forces officials.
The protesters also staged a sit-in on Landi Kotal-Torkam Road and the road remained blocked for all kinds of traffic.
Addressing the angry mob, elders including Khanzada Gul, Zerqeeb Shinwari and Rewaj Ali condemned the alleged lethargic attitude of the FC officials posted at Shaheed Morr Checkpoint and said their unnecessary checking of local tribesmen claimed the life of a person.
Being citizens of Pakistan they were issued legal identification cards and domiciles but the officials at the post treated them like aliens, they remarked. They accused the FC soldiers for not permitting even the local ailing persons and women in spite of producing identity at the post.
They supported border mechanism policy; however, they asked relief for locals at Shaheed Morr Checkpost. Tribesmen from other parts of the tehsil were reluctant to visit them, as the forces at the checkpost tease them in the name of checking, they alleged.
They threatened that if their grievances were not addressed till evening they would close Torkham and Landi Kotal bazaar.
