Muhammad Zada Agra ( ps, محمد زاده اګره; 1988/1989 – 8 November 2021) was an anti-drug activist and blogger in Malakand district of

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

. He was shot dead on 8 November 2021 by unknown gunmen in Sakhakot area of

Malakand District Malakand District ( ps, ملاکنډ ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The District was formed in 1970 as a Provincially Administered Tribal Area, It had previously been a tri ...

. According to the

FIR Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...

, unidentified persons came on a motorcycle and shot at him. He had spoken to the Deputy Commissioner of Malakand district in an Open court a few days ago against the drug mafia in the area.

Protests

People have been protesting on the main road of Sakhakot Malakand since this morning against the assassination of Mohammad Zada and demanding that those responsible for Mohammad Zada's murder be identified and brought to justice.

Investigation

Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( ur, وزیر اعلیٰ خیبر پختونخوا) is the head of government of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The chief minister leads the legislative branch of the provincial government, ...

Advisor Riaz Khan said that the Chief Minister

Mahmood Khan Mahmood Khan (Urdu, Pashto: ; born 30 October 1972) is a Pakistani politician and a member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who is currently serving as the 27th Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in office since 17 August 2018. He has been ...

had taken notice of the murder of Mohammad Zada Agra and had asked the

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police (), formerly known as the Frontier Police, is the provincial law enforcement agency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. History British colonial era In 1849, the land corresponding to modern-day Khyber Pakhtunkh ...

Chief

Moazzam Jah Ansari Moazzam Jah Ansari ( ur, ) is a grade 22 officer of the Police Service of Pakistan who is serving as Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police since June 2021. He previously has served as the Commandant of the Frontier Constabulary (CFC/IG ...

to report it. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister has ordered the removal of Malakand deputy commissioner Altaf Ahmed and assistant commissioner Fawad Khattak. According to the Malakand administration, a case of murder of Muhammadzada Agra has been registered against unknown persons and according to Commissioner Swat, a joint investigation team has been formed to investigate the murder.

Allegation

He posted on his Facebook account on 12 October. In it, Mohammad Zada had alleged that ''"Deputy Commissioner Malakand is trying to harass me under the plan and conspiracy of my opponents and political circles."'' The post further states, ''"If anything happens to me as a result of this plan and improper implementation of this 'unholy conspiracy', then the entire claim of my family will be on Deputy Commissioner Malakand."''

Murders arrest

On 15 November 2021, Deputy Commissioner Malakand Anwar-ul-Haq presented the two accused involved in the murder of Muhammadzada to the media. Weapons and a motorcycle used in the incident were also recovered from the possession of the accused. The Deputy Commissioner said that the Muhammadzada murder case was a big challenge and it took a long time to arrest the accused but with the joint efforts of the

forensic Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to Criminal law, criminal and Civil law (legal system), civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standard ...

team and

intelligence agencies An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy objectives. Means of informatio ...

, their arrest was carried out.

Personal life

Muhammad Zada was known as a political and social activist in Malakand and Sakhakot. As a student, he was the president of the

Insaf Students Federation The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI; ur, , ) is a political party in Pakistan. It was founded in 1996 by Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The PTI is one of the thre ...

Malakand and a fan of Prime Minister

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

. Even after entering practical life, he remained associated with the

PTI PTI may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Pardon the Interruption'', an American television sports show * PTI, a musical group on the WTII Records label Organizations * Pacific Torah Institute, a yeshiva high school in Vancouver, British Columb ...

, but gained more fame for speaking out against drug trafficking and crime in the area. He not only used social media but also used harsh language against the local administration and drug dealers in public gatherings.

Reactions

The Director-General of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Audrey Azoulay Audrey Azoulay (; born 4 August 1972) is a French civil servant and politician who has been serving as the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 2017, becoming the second female le ...

and

Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journa ...

have condemned the killing.

References

{{reflist 2021 murders in Pakistan Deaths by firearm in Pakistan Pakistani murder victims People from Malakand District 2021 deaths Deaths by person in Pakistan People murdered in Pakistan Year of birth uncertain