In Khyber Tirah district, local residents have taken to the streets to protest in front of the brigade headquarters after the Punjabi Pak Army arrested and killed Hamid Khan. Khan, a native of Tirah Valley, was shot dead by the military after being tortured.
The incident occurred when Khan took a few of his goats to a nearby mountain, and he was reportedly killed by gunfire from a military checkpoint on the border of Tera Adam Kheil and Malik Deen Kheil.
In response to Khan’s death, his body was placed in front of the brigade headquarters as a form of protest in Khyber Tirah. Since the Punjabi Army occupied Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 1947, the Pashtun community has faced ongoing violence and genocide, with growing concerns that the situation may deteriorate further.
The killing of Hamid Khan is part of a troubling pattern of violence impacting various ethnic groups in Pakistan. Alongside a rise in Pak Army sponsored terrorism, systematic abuse against Pashtuns has become frequent. The Pashtuns are used by the Army for their own agenda, only to later label them as terrorists, target and kill them.
The increased militarization has led to numerous abductions and enforced disappearances of innocent youths. Additionally, the military’s practice of laying landmines in residential areas has resulted in tragic incidents, with children frequently falling victim to explosions.