Observer Report
Islamabad
Arif Wazir, a leader of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement, died in Islamabad on Saturday after being attacked a day ago by unidentified assailants outside his home in Wana, South Waziristan.
Wana Station House Officer Usman Khan confirmed Wazir had passed away after being shifted to Islamabad for treatment. The police official said a first-information report of the incident had been lodged at the Wana police station.
According to another official Arif Wazir was strolling outside his residence in Ghwa Khwa, near Wana, when armed persons opened fire from a moving vehicle. The official had told media that Arif Wazir received life-threatening injuries.
He was initially admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Wana, but later shifted to an Islamabad hospital. Arif Wazir is the first cousin of MNA Ali Wazir. Seven members of Arif Wazir’s family were killed in a clash with militants near Wana in 2007. His father, Saadullah Jan, and uncle Mirza Alam, were among the dead. Arif Wazir was released from jail on bail about one month ago.
Rights group Amnesty International in a statement on Saturday said authorities must carry out an independent and effective investigation into the attack on Arif Wazir, and that the suspected perpetrators must be held accountable.
