Hundreds of Pakistanis displaced by an army offensive against militants blocked a main road in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday to press for more assistance, prompting police to fire assault rifles and tear gas to disperse them. At least one person was shot dead during the protest in Peshawar - the latest in a series of similar demonstrations in recent months. Police denied responsibility for the death, saying there were some among the crowd who were firing guns during the march. A protest organizer claimed that police had killed two people. Tens of thousands of people have spent the winter in makeshift camps since the army's offensive began last year in Bajur, a tribal region next to the Afghan border. The army declared victory last month, though few civilians have returned to the impoverished region. On Wednesday, hundreds of people from one of the camps marched several miles (kilometers) to block the main road leading into the city. After several hours, police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd and reopen the road, said Sifwat Ghayur, a police official. He said protesters threw rocks at the police, injuring several of them and that “someone among the crowd” also fired several gun shots, killing one civilian and wounding three more. However, television footage showed several police officers armed with assault rifles, including one who fired several bursts from his weapon as protesters fled in all directions. Haroon Rasheed, one of the protest leaders, claimed that police gunfire had killed two people and wounded eight more. “We were holding a peaceful meeting like our peaceful march, but police, without any provocation, opened fire and threw tear gas,” Rasheed said by telephone.
