MUZAFFARABAD: At least one activist was killed and eight others wounded in a clash during a political rally in the Kotli area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Saturday.
The clash between Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers occurred in the Nakial bazaar area, when a PPP procession was heading towards the venue of their convention — which was scheduled to be held later in the day.
Activists from the ruling and the opposition parties pelted stones at each other, which resulted in the death of Munshi Khan, reportedly a PPP worker.
Meanwhile, the injured were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Kotli.
A case has been registered at Nakial police station and 10 people, including PML-N Nakial president Adeel Sarfaraz, have been arrested in this regard, said a local police official.
General elections in AJK are slated to be held in summer 2016.
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Condemnations
The former president Asif Ali Zardari condemned the killing of PPP worker in the strongest possible words and said "it has become a norm for PML-N to kill opposition which shows the dictatorial mindset of its leadership".
Zardari said that several PML-N ministers had been delivering hate speeches against PPP for some time now during their Kashmir visits. Storming of PPP convention seems to be the result of these hate speeches, he said.
The PPP co-chairman asked for a detailed report from the AJK government and instructed it to arrest and bring the culprits to book as soon as possible.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto also condemned the attack on PPP workers.
The PPP chairman took notice of the fact that some PML-N Federal Ministers were using foul and filthy language and were seen instigating violence against the PPP workers and supporters in AJK.
The PML-N has 11 and MC has five legislators in the currently 48-member assembly, and the office of leader of the opposition is held by PML-N president Raja Farooq Haider.
