A 23-year old man was shot dead following an argument between Frontier Corps (FC) personnel and locals over the alleged assault of a taxi driver by FC men in Kamaila bazaar of Kohistan district on Saturday.

The residents of the area blocked the Karakorum Highway by placing the dead body on road SHO Dasu Muhammad Haq Hashmi told the reporters that an argument erupted between FC personnel and a taxi driver when the taxi hit a passing FC convoy conducting a routine patrol on the Karakorum Highway.

Crowds gathered as FC men beat up the driver, locals said. As crowds gathered, FC men resorted to aerial firing killing a 23-year-old. The deceased was identified as Farooq son of Abdullah. According to the SHO, FC men got out of their car and beat up the taxi driver, after which locals gathered at the spot and engaged in a heated exchange with the FC personnel.

The FC men began aerial firing in order to disperse the crowd, the police official said. When they were unsuccessful in doing so, they opened fire on the crowd, he claimed. As a result of the firing, a 23-year-old local, Farooq, received bullet injuries and died.

According to DIG Saeed Wazir, the FC is co-operating with the police and FIR has been registered against the FC official. He said that the protesters have opened the road after one hour. The Karakorum Highway is a major trade route which is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the protest has impacted the flow of traffic.

The Deputy Inspector General Hazara Saeed Wazir said that the Karakorum Highway would be opened for traffic soon. "Justice will be served and an investigation will be launched into the incident," he said.