Thousands protest Swat lawlessness

Tens of thousands of locals took to the streets to protest against the deteriorating law and order situation in Swat district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Friday.

The Malakand region is currently in a state of panic following the recent blasts that occurred at the Kabal police station. While the police have claimed that the blasts were accidental, locals are calling it an act of sabotage.

The explosions have left the community on edge, and many are struggling to come to terms with what has happened. Residents are worried about their safety and the safety of their loved ones, as they fear that the situation could escalate into something more serious.

It is in this context that thousands of local residents of Matta joined the protest demonstration on the call of Swat Quami Jirga and demanded a judicial inquiry into the grim incident.

“Militancy has revisited the scenic valley of Swat after the so-called peace talks with TTP in which they were promised a safe return to parts of K-P where they could enforce their violent ideology,” said speakers while addressing the rally.

They rejected outright the IGP’s statement after the blast in which he called the explosions a result of short circuit rather than terrorism.

“No one will be allowed to decide the future of this region on his own against the wishes of the local people. We will not accept the resettlement of TTP militants to these parts under any circumstances,” said ANP leader Ayaub Lashari.

“We demand equal Shaheed package for the martyrs of K-P police and Punjab police and we want peaceful environment like Punjab in K-P too,” he added.

Speakers demanded of the chief justice to take suo moto action about it, adding that Swat was not situated on Afghan or Indian border to make cross border infiltration possible.

They also rejected any future operation against terrorists in Swat and said that even the previous operation didn’t produce the required results. The speakers also announced forming peace committees in every village across the district to maintain law and order.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2023.