Protestors in Bajaur have called off their sit-in after the authorities assured people to arrest the killers of JUI-F’s local activist Qari Mohammad Ilyas within 10 days, according to media reports on Wednesday.

A jirga delivered the authorities' message to the protestors who staged the sit-in an hour after hearing of Ilyas's death on November 1. They refused to bury him until their demands of justice were met.

The JUI-F activist was shot dead by unidentified men outside the Government High School Khar. Ilyas was coming out of school after taking his last paper of the ongoing MA examinations.

Ilyas was the JUI-F nominee for the Badan village council in the upcoming local government elections.

Several pictures and videos of the protest outside the Civil Colony, Khar were making rounds on social media, with netizens demanding of the authorities to arrest the culprits and provide justice to the people.

The jirga included provincial minister Anwar Zeb Khan, former governor Shaukatullah Khan and several tribal elders. Later, the victim’s body was taken to his native Badan village for burial.

The government team also promised the victim’s family would be compensated as per the Shuhada Package and a case will be registered under the Terrorism Act.

The demonstration that continued for the second consecutive day in the cold weather was attended by a large number of people from various political parties, elders, women, and students.

It's not yet known why he was murdered but a story in Dawn said he was receiving threats from unidentified people after his elder brother JUI-F leader Mufti Sultan Mohammad, was killed in Oct 2019.

The Islamic State in Khurasan Province (ISKP – Da’esh) claimed the killing of Qari Ilyas, as per their statement shared by several journalists on social media. Experts have expressed concerns over the rising threat of IS and other militant groups in the country.