GT Road blocked against killing of Peshawar student

Published October 13, 2023
Edwardes College students stage a protest near the KP Assembly building in Peshawar on Thursday. — White Star
Edwardes College students stage a protest near the KP Assembly building in Peshawar on Thursday. — White Star

PESHAWAR: The students of Edwardes College Peshawar held a protest demonstration here on Thursday and demanded early arrest of robbers involved in the murder of their fellow student.

The relatives of slain student Hassan Tariq also participated in the protest. Holding banners and placards, members of different student organisations took out the protest procession from the college and held demonstration for early arrest of the killers.

On Wednesday, mobile snatchers had shot dead Hassan Tariq, a 17-year-old student of Edwardes College, on Mufti Mehmood Flyover, a heavily guarded area of the provincial capital.

Police said that Tariq was going home in an auto-rickshaw after attending classes when two motorcyclists intercepted the three-wheeler and asked him to hand them over his mobile phone. They shot him dead on resistance.

The protesters blocked GT Road to traffic and chanted slogans against government and police. They said that FIR was registered by East police station but police refused to include sections 302, 324 and 392 in it and registered the case under Section 395.

The student, they said, was killed in the red zone where provincial assembly, Peshawar High Court, Corps Commander House, Governor’s House and other government offices were located. They said that people were not secure even in the sensitive area.

The protesters questioned the performance of police and said that the student was robbed and killed in a highly sensitive area but they could not even get the CCTV footage of the incident.

However, police officials on the occasion said that they obtained footages of close circuit cameras and different teams of investigators were busy to arrest the killers at the earliest.

Later, the protesters dispersed peacefully.

Meanwhile, caretaker Chief Minister Mohammad Azam Khan has taken notice of the killing of the student.

According to a statement, he ordered suspension of the relevant station house officer and directed the police chief to submit a report into the student’s killing.

“Those involved in the murder will be arrested and brought to justice,” the statement quoted Mr Khan as saying. He said that it was alarming that such incidents took place in broad daylight. He said that solid steps should be taken to avoid such incidents in future.

The caretaker chief minister showed sympathy with the bereaved family.

The caretaker minister for information, Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel, visited Manga Dargai area of Charsadda district, the native village of the slain student.

He assured Tariq’s relatives that all available resources were being utilised to bring his killers to justice. He said that special teams were actively working on the case.

The minister also visited Edwardes College and met Principal Shujaat Ali Khan and other faculty members. SPS Operations Kashif Aftab Abbasi briefed them on the progress in the case, according to a statement.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

A hasty retreat
Updated 28 Nov, 2024

A hasty retreat

Govt should not extend its campaign of violence against PTI and its leaders, thinking it now has the upper hand. Enough is enough.
Lebanon truce
28 Nov, 2024

Lebanon truce

WILL it hold? That is the question many in the Middle East and beyond will be asking after a 60-day ceasefire ...
MDR anomaly removed
28 Nov, 2024

MDR anomaly removed

THE State Bank’s decision to remove its minimum deposit rate requirement for conventional banks on deposits from...
Islamabad march
Updated 27 Nov, 2024

Islamabad march

WITH emotions running high, chaos closes in. As these words were being written, rumours and speculation were all...
Policing the internet
27 Nov, 2024

Policing the internet

IT is chilling to witness how Pakistan — a nation that embraced the freedoms of modern democracy, and the tech ...
Correcting sports priorities
27 Nov, 2024

Correcting sports priorities

IT has been a lingering battle that has cast a shadow over sports in Pakistan: who are the national sports...