Loralai Police on Tuesday booked Assistant Superintendent of Police Attaur Rehman for the alleged murder of Professor Arman Loni, a Pashtun activist who was killed in a police crackdown during a protest in the city on Feb 3.
The case was booked on a complaint filed by Abdul Qayyum at Loralai police station under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code, reported a local media outlet.
Loni was killed during a protest staged by the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) against continued violence and the alleged forced eviction of locals from the area in the backdrop of an attack on LEAs in Loralai.
According to the police team, it came to the venue of the sit-in after receiving a tip-off about the presence of a wanted man there. However, some participants of the sit-in offered resistance to the police attempt to arrest the suspect, which led to a scuffle, during which Prof Loni died.
After the murder, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) had given the call for the strike to protest against the late PTM leader’s death, who was allegedly killed by the police on Saturday during a sit-in in Loralai. PkMAP’s call was also backed by Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan National Party (BNP), National Party (NP) and the traders’ community.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan had directed Zhob commissioner to submit a report to him within 48 hours as to how the activist was killed.
