Rallies want K-P police armed to the teeth

PESHAWAR:

Thousands across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) took to the streets to record their protest against the increasing lawlessness and terrorism, demanding that the vulnerable police force be armed to the teeth.

They were holding white flags and demanding strict action against terrorism.
Civil society, lawyers, political workers and the general public attended the protest held in Peshawar, Bajaur, Dir Upper, Dir Lower, Bannu, DI Khan and other key cities.

They said that police has been in the vanguard of terror fight and it should be protected and equipped properly to combat the menace effectively.

The rallies come as Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terrorism, mostly in K-P, but also in Balochistan and the Punjab town of Mianwali, which borders K-P. A terror attack also reached as far as the peripheries of Islamabad.

On Jan 30, a powerful explosion ripped through a mosque in Peshawar’s Red Zone area where between 300 and 400 people — mostly police officers — had gathered for prayers. The suicide blast blew away the wall of the prayer hall and caused the inner roof to collapse in which 101 people, mostly policemen, were martyred.

January was the deadliest month since 2018, in which 134 people lost their lives — a 139 per cent spike — and 254 received injuries in at least 44 terrorist attacks across the country.

On Friday, several rallies organised by local rights organisations were held in K-P’s Shangla district. The leadership of different political parties, including the PTI, PPP, Awami National Party (ANP) and others, also addressed the rallies.

The participants, carrying white flags, demanded justice for the victims of the ghastly blast in Peshawar on Jan 30 as well as sustainable peace in the region.

The main rally began from the Karora area and upon reaching the district headquarters of Alpuri, turned into a huge gathering as others joined.

The speakers said protecting citizens was the responsibility of the authorities concerned, lamenting that they did not seem interested and only engaged in political matters.

ANP leader Muhammad Yar Khan said the Peshawar tragedy was the “biggest security lapse”, questioning how a suicide bomber was able to enter such a sensitive area.

He said that the sole purpose for taking to the streets was to “fight against terrorism and restore complete peace in the region”.

“We will not let anyone sabotage K-P’s peace,” he said. He also questioned what the establishment was doing regarding the matter and why the people were not being provided security.

Ghulamullah, a local PPP leader, said that the blood of the K-P police was “not so cheap” that officials were being killed in the streets or in mosques. He highlighted that hundreds of police officers had lost their lives due to terrorism.

“If police in the province are not safe, then who is supposed to safeguard the people?”

Ghulamullah said the protesters wanted peace and protection for the people in the province and the end to “further Pakhtun genocide”.

Shangla Coal Mine Workers Rights Association’s President Abid Yar said the people were facing hardships on two fronts – soaring inflation and rising terrorism.

He also questioned why only K-P was being targeted by the terrorists while there was relative peace in other areas.

Rallies were also held in Puran tehsil’s Aloch Bazaar and Kana tehsil’s Olandar Bazaar where people recorded their protests against the Peshawar blast, demanding that the government maintain peace in the region.

They demanded of K-P Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari to resign from his position as he had failed to protect the police and put the citizens at greater risk.

The protesters warned they would initiate a mass peace movement in the region if terrorism was not eliminated.

Meanwhile, the PTI — the former ruling party in the province — also staged an ‘Aman (Peace) March’ in Swabi, Mardan, Charsadda, Bannu, Lower Dir and Timergara.

Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser addressed a crowd in Swabi, saying that K-P was at the forefront of the war against terror and would no longer permit someone else’s war on its land.

PTI leader Kamran Bangash shared a footage of a crowd in Peshawar demanding peace.