Protesters sit-in: Peshawar-Chitral highway blocked

CHITRAL (APP): In Dodan village area Darosh of Chitral, the protesters blocked Peshawar-Chitral highway for the second time in a week with huge traffic jams demanding immediate arrest of the killers of two villagers of Shahnagar.
Hundreds of passengers are facing difficulties as protesters staged a sit-in on the road at Kuldam Gol, blocking it for all traffic for seven hours, demanding immediate arrest of the killers of the two people who were brutally murdered in Shahnagar on Wednesday, last.
According to the details, the people of Darosh Tehsil in Lower Chitral blocked Peshawar-Chitral main highway for the second time as Wednesday, last, two persons Ashraf Ali and Ehsanuddin from Shahnagar area of Darosh were brutally murdered while they were fetching firewood from Shahnagar forest.
At that time, the people of the area kept their dead bodies on the road in Darosh Chowk and closed the Peshawar-Chitral highway for all kinds of traffic. Later, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Darosh Iqbal Karim assured that the accused would be arrested within forty-eight hours after the protestors cleared the way.
Despite the deadline being over the accused were not arrested and the people of eighteen mosques once again gathered at Kuldam Gol Chowk on the call of Village Council Shahnagar Chairman Waqar Ahmed.
Protesters once again staged a sit-in on the Peshawar-Chitral main road as a protest and kept it closed for all types of traffic for seven hours.
The protesters said that the Police failed miserably to arrest the accused, hence they were forced to protest again. A protest meeting was also held on this occasion, which was expressed by the leaders of all political and religious parties.
Speakers said that the recent incident seems to be a deliberate conspiracy to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of Chitral. They said that after three days, the Police failed to arrest the killers of the innocent persons. The protestors also shouted slogans against the Police and the district administration. Later, the district administration, while negotiating with the protestors, assured that the accused would be arrested within two days and their houses would be demolished.
The protestors ended the sit-in and opened the road for traffic. Talking to the people participating in the sit-in, the elders of the area said that the accused belong to the Gujjar community, who illegally occupied the public pasture and forest.