Scrambling for relief: Three injured in clash at ration point in Bannu

IDPs accuse FC soldier of opening fire after being attacked with a brick.

BANNU:

A clash with Frontier Corps personnel at a camp for displaced persons in Bannu left two IDPs injured while a soldier was also wounded.

Saddar police official Yasin Kamal said the skirmish took place at around 10am at the ration distribution point set up at Ziyad Akram Khan Durrani Sports Complex. Kamal said trucks with rations arrived at the main gate of the depot following which the displaced people rushed to get their hands on the relief goods.

He added FC personnel tried to contain the crowd, but one of them struck an official on the head with a brick, leaving him injured. In retaliation, the injured solider allegedly opened fire and injured two IDPs while other FC personnel started baton charging people gathered at the scene.

The injured were taken to District Headquarters Hospital while the FC soldier, whose identity remains unknown, was administered first aid.

“I was hit multiple times on my elbow and head by an FC official,” complained Naveed Wazir, one of the IDPs. He claimed he was standing in the queue for relief goods when soldiers beat people other than the attacker for no reason.

Zabin Wazir echoed Naveed’s claims, saying FC personnel severely beat the other IDPs despite the fact that they had done nothing. “We were unarmed, so why did they attack us in this manner?” he asked. Zabin alleged soldiers beat nearly all the people standing in line and even fired several bullets towards them. “We are treated inhumanely by security officials,” he claimed.

According to Zabin, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He said that IDPs were humiliated on a daily basis and that was the reason one of them attacked a soldier with a brick. “We are standing in these queues because the government forced us out of our homes. Now they hand us ration like [we are] beggars,” Zabin complained.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2014.