Pakistan orders probe into death of activist during clashes

QUETTA, Pakistan – Pakistan has ordered an investigation into the death of a prominent Pashtun rights activist following a weekend sit-in that dissolved into clashes with police.

Friends and family of Arman Loni accuse the police of intentionally targeting and killing him. Loni was a leader in the Pashtun Protection Movement, which campaigns against perceived high-handedness by the security forces against the Pashtun minority.

He died on Saturday after clashes erupted at the sit-in in the town of Loralai in Baluchistan province. Police and doctors say he died of a heart attack.

The government didn’t elaborate on why an investigation was ordered.

In Quetta, the Baluchistan provincial capital, a partial strike started Monday with most shops closing to denounce Loni’s death.

Pashtuns make up about 15 per cent of Pakistan’s population of 220 million.