SHANGLA: On Friday, residents of Shangla blocked the main Bisham-Swat Road in Alpuri to protest against the recent deadly terrorist attacks targeting both police and civilians.
The protest was followed by a “peace rally” organized by the District Bar Association and the Shangla Action Committee.
Various political party leaders addressed the crowd, demanding immediate and decisive action to eliminate terrorists from the district for lasting peace. The rally, led by Waqif Shah, president of the bar association and chairman of the Shangla Action Committee, saw participants carrying banners and white flags, chanting slogans against terrorism and for peace. They strongly condemned the recent attack on a police checkpost in Gunangar Chakesar, where two police officers were killed and three others injured.
Speakers at the rally, including community leaders Mutawakil Khan, Faiz Mohammad, Abbas Khan, Sultan Rome, Amad Khan, Gulab Shahpur, and trade union leader Mohammadzada, criticized the failure of state forces to protect public safety, pointing out that even the local police were being effectively targeted by terrorists. They expressed concern over the growing frequency of terrorist attacks, which were spreading fear among the local population.
Faiz Mohammad expressed frustration with law enforcement agencies, questioning how terrorists were able to infiltrate the district. He pointed out that while people in other parts of the world protest for empowerment and development, residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were forced to rally for the basic right to live in safety.
Trade union president Mohammadzada also voiced concerns, noting that Bisham had been free from terrorist activity for the last three decades, but now terrorists were operating there as well. He highlighted the threat terrorism posed to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the recent terrorist attack near the Karakoram Highway as particularly troubling. He stressed that terrorism was undermining both business and tourism in the region, which attracts numerous people from across Pakistan and abroad via the Karakoram Highway.
Elder Abbas Khan emphasized the sense of insecurity among the people of Shangla due to the escalating terrorist activity and urged local youth to step forward and protect their community from terrorism.
Sultan Rome criticized both the federal and provincial governments for failing to address the terrorism issue, saying that while people were losing their lives to attacks, the authorities appeared indifferent. He noted that although the police were capable of tackling terrorism, they lacked the necessary authority to do so effectively.
Waqif Shah, chairman of the Shangla Action Committee, condemned the attacks on police checkposts, which he argued demonstrated the incompetence of state agencies. He also criticized the local political leadership for their absence from the rally despite holding influential positions in the region.
Mr. Shah announced that a jirga would be held on December 23 to discuss the security situation in Shangla, with informal invitations extended to local political leaders, including PML-N’s Amir Muqam, provincial opposition leader Ibadullah Khan, PTI MPA Abdul Munim, and PML-N MPA Mohammad Rashad Khan. He warned that if the government did not take swift action to restore peace, the residents would escalate their protests and even resort to strikes.
