Lakki remembers its dead in grisly suicide attack

Large protest rallies were held against increasing lawlessness and militancy in Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Sunday.

Both the rallies were organized by Pakhtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) with the help of local peace committees and organisations in Bannu’s Janni Khel area and Lakki Marwat’s Kargail Chowk.

The speakers said that the Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts had been used by some superpowers for their proxy war which is not acceptable to the locals.

The rally in Lakki coincided with the anniversary of a suicide bombing in the district 12 years ago when an explosives-laden truck had rammed into families and children watching a volleyball match in Shah Hassan Khel village.

More than 100 people were killed in the sickening assault.

“If they want a war then they (TTP) and their rivals should go and fight it somewhere else instead of turning the Pakthun land into a battleground,” they said, adding that families of the victims of the grisly suicide blast are still waiting for their compensation and financial aid.

“We don’t want war and lawlessness on our land,” they said, adding that CPEC is going to bring prosperity to Lakki Marwat and other parts of K-P that is why international powers were fighting a proxy war here.

The speakers urged unity among the locals, saying it was unfortunate that the native residents had been forced to flee from their ancestral lands due to terrorist attacks.

They said the government was unable to control the situation as was evident from the ever increasing targeted attacks at police employees and police stations. A large number of political and social activists as well as locals participated in both the rallies.

It may be mentioned here that protest calls have also been given by peace committees in Bajaur and other tribal districts to be held on January 5.