Tensions escalated in the Upper and Lower Kohistan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as residents protested against the suspension of senior police officers following the Bisham suicide attack. The protesters blocked the Karakoram Highway on the third day of Eidul Fitr, expressing dissatisfaction over the treatment of local authorities and the family of Muhammad Riaz, who died in the Lower Kohistan explosion. They argued that the suspended officials were not responsible for the Bisham attack, which occurred in Shangla district, not in Kohistan. The protesters demanded justice and compensation for the Pakistani driver killed in the attack, criticizing the federal government for suspending officials from Kohistan and Hazara divisions. They also called for a transparent inquiry into the blast and punishment for those responsible. The Bisham attack, which claimed the lives of five Chinese engineers and the Pakistani driver, prompted China to demand a thorough investigation and increased security measures for its citizens. In response, Islamabad established a joint investigation team and dismissed five senior police officers for negligence.
