Protesters call for probe to expose youth’s killers
Irshadullah Khan
PESHAWAR: A protest demonstration was held in front of Peshawar Press Club on Sunday against the alleged murder of a youth in Chitral town.
The protesters suspected murder of the youth and demanded proper investigation into the case to provide justice to the family by exposing the culprits and to avoid such incidents in the future.
The youth, Iqbal Naveed, son of retired Subedar Zar Wali, went missing mysteriously on February 26. His dead body was recovered from the Chitral river by Rescue 1122 at Jutilasht on March 4.
The family of the deceased originally belonged to Saht village of Mulkhow and is settled in Zargaran Deh, Chitral town. The bereaved family and social activists have ruled out the possibility of Naveed committing suicide and suspected that he has been murdered and dumped into the river though no explicit reason is being cited for it.
The protest in Peshawar was attended by Pir Mukhtar, Chairman Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Huqooq Chitral, Syed Sher Hussain, member of the People’s Party Provincial Council, and others.
The protesters said attempts were being made to cover up Naveed’s murder by calling it a suicide. They demanded that a transparent investigation of the murder should be carried out and the facts should be made public.
Pir Mukhtar told Chitral Today that every citizen had the right to protection of life and property. A better mechanism should be made and law enforcement agencies, human rights organizations and others should play their role to ensure that there is a transparent inquiry into the case of this youth’s alleged murder and that there should be progress on the case as soon.
He said the DPO Lower Chitral should form an investigation committee to find out the roots of the incident and motives behind it and remove the suspicions over the death of the young man. A proper investigation would also check such incidents in future.
According to initial information received from police sources, the youth had left his house for a haircut on the night of Feb 26 after which he disappeared. The family members of the deceased believed that it was not an accident or suicide but a planned murder.