Pakistan: Elders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bara concerned over surge in incidents of targeted killings

Islamabad: The elders of the Bar Qambar khel tribe in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bara expressed grave concern over the rising number of targeted killings and requested that law enforcement forces take immediate action to ameliorate the situation, according to Dawn.

During a jirga convened in Takia Qaumi Markaz on Sunday, the Bar Qambarkhel elders described officials' inactivity against targeted killings as criminal negligence and said that no one engaged in those crimes had been apprehended so far.

The jirga agreed with Bara Siyasi Ittehad's decision to stage protests while not burying victims of targeted killings in the future.

The jirga participants also constituted a committee comprised of ten representatives from each sub-tribe of Bar Qambar khel to undertake discussions on targeted killing events and other local concerns, reported Dawn.
Meanwhile, a sudden increase in targeted killings and violent street crimes in Pakistan's Peshawar has set the alarm bells ringing for the capital city police.
Many people called for a probe into cases of street criminals held during the past many weeks so that the people behind the attacks are brought to book.
The recent incidents have sparked fear among locals and they have called on police for an improved intelligence network and better policies to arrest gangs, The News International reported.

In a separate incident in Pakistan's Jamrud, raids on several warehouses were carried out on Sunday, which resulted in the confiscation of three vehicles filled with timber by the district government, according to Dawn.

According to a statement made by Khyber House, the searches on timber warehouses were carried out after obtaining information regarding the existence of a large quantity of timber smuggled illegally from Tirah Valley's natural forests.
According to the report, four smugglers were also apprehended for their involvement in unlawful forest cutting and transferring the chopped timber to markets in Jamrud and Peshawar. The warehouses had likewise been shut.