ISLAMABAD: Protests that began Sunday in the federal capital’s Bhara Kahu locality against the killing of three people including a local leader of the JUI-F, were called off, following negotiations with the authorities.

The workers of the opposition party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) as well as the families of the slain staged sit-ins and demonstrations at Bhara Kahu’s Athal Chowk, with protesters blocking the Murree Road that resulted in severe traffic jams and long queues of stranded vehicles.

Qari Karamatur Rehman, a local JUI-F leader said the victim was an active party member but the FIR of the incident had not been registered yet. He lamented that the incident was proof of the terrible performance of the government and the administration.

Negotiations with the protesters blocking the Murree Road (N-75) were successfully carried out by Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat and the senior superintendent of police (SSP) for operations.

Apologizing for the inconvenience caused, Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood said in his tweet, “Murree Road has been reopened to traffic after talks with the administration and police.”

The JUI-F leader’s son, brother, and a student were killed in a firing incident in Islamabad’s Bhara Kahu area on Saturday.

According to the police, two of the dead were identified as Ikramullah and Samiullah, while the third was a student. Following the development, the protesters dispersed from the Bara Kahu locality and took the bodies of the slain with them. However, they warned that they would not bury the deceased until the killers were arrested. “If the culprits are not arrested, we will hold a protest again,” they said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021