Motion on lawlessness submitted

Protests erupt against return of militants in Lower Dir

PESHAWAR/ TIMARGARA:

Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) from PK-12 Dir Upper and senior Jammat-e-Islami (JI) leader Inayatullah Khan has submitted an adjournment motion against the increasing lawlessness in Lower Dir district as well as Malakand region in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly.

“The law and order situation in the former Fata, Swat and Malakand Division is deteriorating causing unrest among the locals so I submit this motion,” says the written application submitted to the speaker.

“Lawlessness has once again returned to these districts evident from the target killings as well as kidnaping of police officials and broad daylight attack at MPA Liaqat Ali in which four innocent people lost their lives, resulting in panic and unrest among the local population naturally,” says the motion.

He requested the speaker that his adjournment motion should be accepted for a debate so that the facts about Malakand Division and other districts could be brought before the public.

Protests against law and order situation

Widespread protests continued on the third consecutive day across Lower Dir district against the return of militants to the area as participants demanded of the government to maintain law and order situation in the region and take strict action against the insurgents.

The entire district has been in the grip of fears that militancy will return to the region after the deadly attack at PTI MPA Liaqat Ali which left four people dead including a brother and nephew of the MPA and two of his police guards. Liaqat Ali himself was critically injured in the attack.

Rumours are abound that MPA Liaqat was targeted when he refused to pay extortion to militants despite the fact that there is no confirmation from the family.

Soon after the attack on Monday Awami National Party (ANP) staged a protest against the increasing lawlessness in the district and demanded of the police, government and security forces to take steps to maintain law and order in the entire region.

On Tuesday workers of all political parties brought out processions. The criticized the return of militants to the region and blamed that government was not taking serious steps to control the situation.

Thousands of people attended these protests.

On Wednesday another large protest was held in Timargara in which thousands of local residents participated.

The protesters said that the kidnaping of four policemen in Matta Swat was not a good omen for the entire region.

They blamed that the area had been handed over to militants after a deal which is not acceptable to them.

“We will not accept the handing over of the region to militants so that they could impose their own rule and extract money from the locals,” said a local elder on the condition of anonymity.

He said that no one will be allowed to do deadly experiments on this soil.

“Militants are roaming freely in the hills creating unrest among the locals as well as administration. They have sent a group to Swat and another one to Buner. These militants are fully armed,” he said, adding that chief minister was silent on all these developments in his home district of Swat.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 11^th, 2022.