Thousands pour onto streets demanding restoration of durable peace in KP:
demanding restoration of durable peace in KP
Thousands of people poured onto the streets of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s towns for the third day on Sunday to condemn the brutal assault on the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines in Peshawar and the region’s resurgence of militancy.
Protest Location
Peace protests were held in Mohmand, Malakand, Lakki Marwat, and other localities under the banner of “Ulasi Pasoon” (public uprising).
Among the important personalities who attended the Mohmand demonstration were:
Awami National Party provincial general secretary Sardar Hussain Babak and Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader Manzoor Pashteen.
The bulk of the peace marchers were young people carrying white flags, banners, and placards.
And urging the government to put a stop to militancy and establish long-term peace.
A large police force was deployed to avoid any negative situations on this occasion.
Manzoor Pashteen, a PTM leader, addressed the gathering, saying:
Militancy and worsening law and order had an impact on all aspects of society, including children, women, the elderly, and tribal elders.
He said:
“Workers of every political party have sacrificed their lives during the war imposed on the Pakhtun region.”
He said that Pakhtuns were divided by a conspiracy and asked them to get together for the sake of their community.
He further Added:
“Only in Momand Gat area of the Mohmand tribal district, at least three dozen people have been killed.”
The PTM leader requested elders, Maliks, and religious experts to join in appealing for the recovery of the missing persons.
Sardar Hussain Babak, the ANP’s leader at the time, declared that tribesmen’s children needed security and authority over their resources.
He said:
“We consider this region as our own and value it like a mother,” Mr. Babak said.
He demanded that religious scholars issue verdicts against the ongoing terrorism and killing of innocent people.
“Our resources are being looted and our children are dying of hunger.”
He described how militants infiltrated Pakistan and made their way to Peshawar after the Afghan border was fortified with military stations.
Lakki Marwat residents
Lakki Marwat residents conducted a peaceful protest on Sunday.
Following a march on the Tajazai-Lakki Road, the group marched from Shaheed Abid Ali Chowk to Qazi Ishfaq Chowk, the city’s main bus station.
They had the demonstrators’ banners and placards, which featured statements expressing their appeals for peace and unity.
Dr. Muhammad Iqbal of the PTI, Eng Ihsan, Malik Waqar, Inam Khoidadkhel, and Shahid Tajoriwal also spoke at the ceremony
They said that the inhabitants of the district valued peace and wished for long-term harmony in their town.
They asserted that the people of the region would not allow anyone to disrupt the peace.
And use their property for anti-state activities.
Furthermore, They said:
In addition to a lack of law and order, residents had to contend with regular gas and electricity shortages, as well as the suspension of cellphone and internet services, which exacerbated their concerns.
Moreover, They said that a pipeline was being built to transport gas to Punjab, but the people were ignored.
The speakers asked elders and political officials to “break their silence” and take action to combat crime and protect human rights.
Malakand political party workers and civil society activists came to the streets in Batkhela to demand the establishment of permanent peace in their area.
The marchers carried white flags, banners, and posters and sang pro-peace slogans as they marched from Zafar Park to the old bus stop.
Former Jamaat-i-Islami provincial minister ANP district president Ejaz Khan, former province minister Shakeel Khan, Maulana Javed, Maulana Imran Hilali of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, PML-N city president Ali Mohammad, All Chairmen and Councillor Ittehad president Pir Azmat Shah, Muslim Khan of the Pakistan Peoples Party
They stated:
They could not tolerate any further carnage on their grounds.
Further, They said that because the state institutions were the ones that ensured peace, they should carry out their responsibilities and safeguard the population.
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Pavan Manzoor is an experienced content writer , editor and social media handler along with a track record of youth-oriented activities in Pakistan and abroad. She was selected as a fully-funded delegate as a leadership fellow in Turkey. She also led a team of 5 volunteers at the week-long Young Professionals Fellowship in Maldives. She is also a member of the Youth Standing Committee on Higher Education.
