PTM leader killed in ‘police crackdown’ on Loralai protesters

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A senior member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) was killed in a police crackdown on a sit-in being held in the Loralai district of Balochistan, MNA Mohsin Dawar confirmed Saturday.

“Extremely tragic news. Senior member of PTM Arman Luni has been killed by police in a crackdown on #PTMLoralaiSitIn,” the lawmaker said in a statement on his Twitter official.

“This is the worst shape of state terrorism. We request our members to remain calm and non-violent. The state will have to pay for his murder. #StateKilledArmanLuni,” he tweeted.

The confirmation came minutes after Twitterati claimed that Luni had been killed in a police crackdown on PTM’s peaceful protest demonstration in Loralai which entered its fourth day on Saturday.

The sit-in is being staged against continued violence and the alleged forced eviction of locals from the area in the backdrop of an attack that shook the country on January 29.

Nine people, including five civilians and three policemen, were killed and 21 others suffered injuries in suicide bombing and firing by militants on the office complex of the Zhob Range deputy inspector general (DIG) in Loralai.

While there has been no official version to Luni’s death as of yet, witnesses claim that police opened fire on peaceful protesters demanding rest in the troubled district.