A Pakistani soldier and three miscreants were killed and several injured in a shoot-out in Pakistan's tribal region lying near the border with Afghanistan on Sunday, officials and witnesses said. The clash took place near a checkpost on the main road between Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, and Bannu, a major city near the tribal region, at around 10 am, they said.Witnesses said that that a group of paramilitary soldiers signaled a van to stop but the driver did not stop his vehicle and the soldiers opened fire on it. They said that three armed tribesmen in the van returned fire, killing a soldier. Three tribesmen were killed in the firing by security forces.
Local officials said that two of the armed men were militants but witnesses said they were local citizens.
Sporadic firing started in parts of the city after the shooting and shopkeepers closed their shops. The people also stayed in their homes.
Correspondents said that the authorities called in helicopter gunships in view of the tense situation. Helicopters started flying but did not fire. A large number of paramilitary troops and several armored vehicles were deployed around the fort of the local militia to check any reaction.