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Pakistani Human Rights Activist Gunned Down


Armed men have gunned down the coordinator of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in the northwestern Khyber tribal district, RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal reports.

Zarteef Khan Afridi, 52, who was a schoolteacher and social activist, was driving a motorbike to his office in Jamrud, Khyber Tribal Agency, when armed men attacked him, security official Shakeel Omarzai told RFE/RL.

"He was on his way to the school when he was gunned down by unidentified armed men," he said. "We can't say if it was personal enmity or if there was some other reason behind the killing."

HRCP co-chairman Kamran Arif told Radio Mashaal that he condemns Afridi's killing and demanded the government conduct a thorough investigation.

"We have urged the government to launch an investigation and arrest all those responsible for the crime," he said.

Locals told RFE/RL that Afridi was a social activist who was seeking to increase "political awareness" among tribesmen through constitutional reforms and economic development.

The Khyber Tribal Agency is near the city of Peshawar. It is one of seven tribal districts in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

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