Government constitutes judicial commission to probe killings of peaceful protesters in Pakistan; Former Pakistan’s PM Nawaz Sharif active to defuse tension

ABBOTABAD: Provincial government in Pakistan has constituted a judicial commission to probe Abbotabad riots.

According to a notification issued by provincial government of NWFP, a judge of Peshawar High Court Abdul Aziz Kundi has been appointed as head of the commission, which will present its report within 15 days.

It is pertinent to mention here that ten protesters have been killed during Abbotabad riot that has started three week back over the renaming of the NWFP as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In a bid to defuse tension, former two-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached Abbotabad on Wednesday afternoon. He is expected to take the local political leadership into confidence over the issue.

Yesterday, Abbotabad Police killed three more innocent protesters and injured three others critically as the Hazara movement for provincial autonomy enters third week. The protesters on Tuesday, once again, peacefully assembled in the city when the ‘outer police’ called from Mardan, Bannu, Peshawar and other cities opened indiscriminate fire to kill three more protesters. The death toll now rises to 19, following horrifying bloodshed by the Frontier Police, on the instructions of NWFP Chief Minister.

Plain clothed policemen were using private ambulances to roam around and the police officials were seen directly targeting the protesters from the side windows of those ambulances. Out of the two of the total three that were killed on Tuesday, one teenager was shot straight in the head while other one was shot in the left ribcage. The former died at the spot and the latter succumbed to the injuries on the way to hospital. DIG Abbotabad, who had gone in hide after the brutal massacre of the innocent civilians, was not accessible to media despite attempts. Sources in DIG office told Gaea Times that the orders of straight firing at the protestors were issued by Chief Minister NWFP Ameer Haider Khan Hoti.

Yet again, the shrewd security gurus floated the news of murder of Chairman Tehreek-e-Hazara Sardar Haider Zaman, but to no avail. Talking to this correspondent Haider Zaman said that such cowardly rumours would not stop the public movement. He deplored the statement of CM NWFP that ANP would initiate dialogue with PML-N regarding the issue. Haider said that PML N was rejected by the people of Hazara and Tehreek-i-Hazara was not associated with any political party, rather it was indigenous movement of common people of Hazara.

Central leader of Tehreek-i-Hazara, said that DIG, DCO, Commissioner Hazara Division killed the people on the orders of the ANP Government. He said DIG Abbotabad, Imtiaz Altaf Shah fired the first shot that immediately killed a protestor. Also, he added, the protest movement remained peaceful for last two weeks but it turned violent all of sudden due to the policy of ANP Government to crush the people of Hazara.

After receiving wide criticism for having been succumbed to ANP’s pressure to compromise on the wishes of general public in Hazara Division, the PML-N leaders tried to gain some public support by giving statements against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but the public anger refrained them to appear in public. PML-N leader Mehtab Abbasi and his son Shamoon Abbasi were thrashed by protesters the other day. Complete shutter down strike was observed in Hazara Division comprising Abbotabad, Haripur, Mansehra and related parts. The late night reports regarding the removal of DCO, DIG was also floating in the city