TEHRAN, May 30 - A Pakistani lawmaker who escaped a deadly clash between the military and activists over the weekend was arrested on Thursday after surrendering to authorities, according to an elder in his constituency that borders Afghanistan.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - The military accuses Mohsin Dawar and another member of parliament of being involved in an assault on a security post in the volatile North Waziristan region, but activists say soldiers opened fire on unarmed people who were gathering to protest heavy-handed treatment by the security forces.
The military said three people were killed in the violence, but the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), which was co-founded by Dawar and campaigns for civil rights for ethnic minority Pashtun people, said troops killed 13 civilians.
Videos circulated on social media appear to show unarmed protesters arguing with soldiers and breaching a barbed-wire barricade placed on a road, before gunfire sends activists running for cover.
The violence is the most serious incident in a long-running confrontation between the authorities and the PTM, which has vowed to remain non-violent. Human rights groups have called for an inquiry into the incident.
Source: Reuters
Your Comment