CS, CCPO to answer for shelling PTM rally

The Peshawar High Court has summoned the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary, home secretary, and the chief capital city police officer (CCPO) Peshawar to appear before the court on Friday (today) in connection with a petition filed against police shelling and violence during a gathering of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) in Khyber district.

The court wants them to explain how law and order was maintained in the area.

A two-member bench, comprising Justices Shakeel Ahmad and Arshad Ali, heard the petition filed by Zahidullah. Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shah Faisal Utman Khail, and the petitioner's lawyer, Ali Azeem Afridi, were present during the hearing.

The petitioner's lawyer informed the court that the police had used tear gas on a peaceful PTM gathering in the Shalobar Qamberkhel area of Bara, Khyber, which resulted in injuries to several citizens, including the petitioner.

He argued that the use of tear gas was illegal because peaceful protest is a constitutional and legal right of citizens. He also contended that law enforcement agencies acted following a letter issued by the federal government to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary, which led to the deterioration of the law and order situation in the province.