Protest echoes in K-P Assembly

The Janni Khel protest echoed prominently in the provincial assembly on Wednesday as the opposition members walked out of the house in protest against the use of brute force on thousands of peaceful protesters who are demanding arrest of their slain leader Malik Naseeb Khan’s murderers.

Opposition blamed that the security forces were strictly monitoring the political elements but terrorists were free to do anything in this country.

The treasury members persuaded the opposition to end their protest following which they returned to the house. The government took the stance that the chief minister had announced a Rs2 billion package for Janni Khel and these tribesmen were simply doing politics on it.

The assembly proceedings started two hours late with Speaker Mushtaq Ghani in the chair. ANP’s Sardar Hussain Babak said that for the past 24 days Janni Khel tribesmen are protesting and today they started their long march to Islamabad but police used batons and gas shelling against the peaceful protesters. He said the government was not willing to talk to its own people after which the entire opposition walked out of the house.

Read more: Jani Khel tribe ends protests following talks with K-P govt

The provincial ministers were successful in persuading them to end their walkout. JI’s Inayatullah Khan said that government should show its seriousness on the Janni Khel issue. Babak said that North Waziristan is also part of Pakistan and Janni Khel tribesmen are demanding that their problems be solved. He blamed that terrorists were doing their work freely and the security organizations were monitoring political workers, adding that female government employees were being threatened.

He asked if polio vaccination and peace were two things prohibited for Pakhtuns? Babak said that the tribal representatives were silent in the house and police torched its own vehicle during clashes with Janni Khel protesters.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2021.