September 5, 2022
By Hidayatullah Achakzai
CHAMAN
A 13-year-old boy succumbed to injuries sustained from alleged firing by security forces stationed at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Chaman, sparking angry protests in the district.
Protesters blocked the Pakistan-Afghanistan highway and placed the body of the deceased, identified as Nazir Ahmed, outside the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office.
According to protesters, Nazir and his father, who is a prayer leader, were traveling from Badar to Chaman on their motorcycle when the incident occured. The wounded were shifted to the Chaman Civil Hospital, while Nazir was referred to another hospital due to the extent of his injuries but did not survive the journey.
A relative of the deceased simply known as ‘Maulvi Sahib’, said that both father and son were innocent.
“They were coming from the border on a motorcycle,” he said. “A security officer opened fire on them – Nasir was martyred while the father is at the hospital, bloody and full of bullets,” he told Voicepk, adding that the injured is a prayer leader at a mosque while his son was a student. “He does not ‘deal’ in anything, he does not smuggle anything here. He is an imam and his son was a student, barely 13, 14 years old.”
Maulvi Sahib also further stated that the government representatives visited the victim’s family at the hospital and assured them of full cooperation.
“They said they made a mistake, and we told them that we are going to lodge an FIR,” he related. “Everyday we are mindlessly killed! This is injustice!”
Abdul Ali, an organizer of the protest outside the DC office, stated that such incidents are becoming the norm.
“They are putting a price on our loss, but we do not want their money. We do not accept their terms. Our demand is that the murderers be put behind bars,” he demanded. He stated that the security forces, instead of protecting the people, were committing atrocities against them. “What have we done to deserve this?”
Adil added that the DC and other tribal leaders met with protesters to reach a settlement but were turned down.
“We will not bury the body until the killers are caught,” he declared.