SWABI: A former councillor was shot dead by his cousin when they clashed over the ownership of a piece of land here on Thursday, said police.

The deceased, Amjad Ayaz, was also one of the leading traders of Topi tehisl.

Police and eyewitnesses said that Mr Ayaz and his cousin Ali Gohar exchanged hot words near the vegetable market in tehsil headquarters. Mr Ali wanted that the share of his mother in their market at the main bazaar should be immediately given to him and no delaying tactics were acceptable to him but the deceased wanted him to adopt legal process.

Soon the argument reached to boiling point and Mr Gohar allegedly opened fire on him and managed to escape. Mr Ayaz was seriously injured and shifted to tehsil headquarters hospital from where he was referred to Bacha Medical Complex, Shahmansoor and later to Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar.

He succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to Peshawar.

Meanwhile, police found a dead body in Jaganbat region on Tuesday.

Police during routine patrol in the morning saw the body at the roadside field. The body was placed in city police station till noon for identification and later the staff of tehsil municipal administration was called to bury it.

In addition, Abbas Khan, a resident of Tordher, registered an FIR about theft of his motorbike.

Also, the Grand Health Alliance here on Tuesday staged a protest demonstration at Karnal Sher Khan Chowk against the government’s plan to privatise public sector hospitals.

The protesting members of the alliance were chanting slogans against the government. They said that government should roll back the recently passed law meant to privatise public sector hospitals in the province. They vowed to continue their protest till acceptance of their demand.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2019