Pak army soldiers caught extorting money from villagers

Pakistan Army soldiers were caught extorting money from locals from a village near Narowal in Pakistan's Punjab region, a top intelligence source said on Thursday.

The source further stated that the military vehicle number was camouflaged to hide its identity and maintain discretion. When the locals protested, the army personnel opened indiscriminate fire on unarmed civilians for not paying extortion money.

The civilian who was fired upon was rushed to the nearest hospital and locals were found to be protesting over there.

Sources said that it "appears to be a routine affair in Pakistan where Army personnel misuse their powers to exploit hapless common civilians."

When the matter was flagged to the Pakistan Army top brass, a senior Army officer rushed to the site a few hours later to intimidate the police personnel who are being pressured to prevent them from lodging a police case.

When the local villagers tried to approach the press, the Inter Services Intelligence rushed in to control the damage.

"The lawlessness in the country and arrogance in Pakistan Army owing to its unprecedented powers is making the common man the biggest victims in Pakistan," the source said.

It would be wrong to say that the military oppression is limited to the provinces of Balochistan, Sindh and Gilgit Baltistan.

"In fact, glimpses of the same are visible even in Pakistan's heart – Punjab, if only the media is free enough to bring it to the citizens' attention," the source added..