Thousands of people rallied on Friday against a planned operation by the Pakistan military to root out militants along the Afghan border, with at least one protester killed when gunfire broke out, officials and witness said.
More than 10,000 people waving white flags and calling for peace gathered for the rally in Bannu 鈥� 40 kilometres from Afghanistan 鈥� where a suicide bomber on Monday rammed an explosive-packed vehicle into an army enclave, killing eight Pakistani troops.
鈥楳ilitary operations have been ongoing for 20 years, yet peace has not been established,鈥� protester Jamaluddin Wazir told the AFP.
Friday鈥檚 protest turned violent when crowds reached the walls of an army facility and gunfire broke out, witnesses and officials reported.
鈥楾hey chanted slogans against the army, and some started throwing stones at the facility鈥檚 wall. This led to firing in the air by the military, causing a stampede,鈥� an intelligence official in the nearby city of Peshawar told AFP on condition of anonymity.
At least one protester died, according to Pakhtun Yar, the provincial minister for public health, who was a speaker at the protest. He accused the military of opening fire on the protesters.
鈥楧uring the rally, shots were fired directly at me and the people standing near me. This wasn鈥檛 just firing in the air 鈥� it was intended to kill us,鈥� Yar told the AFP.
鈥楾he shooting was carried out by those who want to destroy our peace. They want to spill the blood of our people, but the community is no longer willing to tolerate this.鈥櫬�
Pakistan鈥檚 government announced earlier this year that the military would launch a new campaign to counter violence in areas along the border with Afghanistan, which has surged following the Taliban government鈥檚 return to power.
