Six women among seven NGO workers shot dead

SWABI, Jan 1:  Seven NGO workers including six women and a medical technician were shot dead Monday afternoon near Swabi interchange, police said. Station House Officer of Chota Lahor Police Station, Zulfiqar Khan said that the vehicle carrying the employees of Support With Working Solutions (SWWS) organisation (now known as ‘Ujala’) was on its way from a centre of the NGO when it was ambushed at Sher Afzal’s Banda area near Anbar Interchange in Swabi district. “Yes I can confirm six women and a man has been killed while  one worker has been injured,” he added. Police said that the SWWS workers were targeted when they were returning from school and health centre to home as unidentified gunmen, probably riding a motorbike sprayed their vehicle with bullets. The deceased have been identified as Dr Amjad Ali, Rahila, Shahriyat Bibi, Zahida Bibi, Gul Naz, Hum Sher Bibi, Naela Naz. The police say that the motives of the attack have not been known yet and they are investigating. The bodies were shifted to the Shah Mansoor Hospital, Swabi while the injured has been shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar. The SWWS, with its head office in Karnal Sher Khan Kalley in Swabi, works in health, education and vocational training of women besides working on  maternal and child mortality and reproductive health issues.Umar, a relative of one of the killed women workers, said the attackers stopped the vehicle carrying the staff, asked a child sitting in the car to come down and then opened firing on women, who he said were all lady health workers, working with the NGO.–Dawn]]>