K-P MPAs want judicial probe into 'drone attack'

PESHAWAR:

Members of the provincial legislature of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) province on Friday condemned an alleged drone strike in the Katlang area of Mardan in the last week of March and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.

Lawmakers from both treasury and opposition benches also called for summoning the K-P inspector general of police (IGP) and home secretary, questioning why and how the strike was carried out.

A provincial assembly session was held on Friday under the chairmanship of Speaker Babar Saleem Swati. After offering Fateh prayers for the Katlang victims, the lawmakers discussed the tragedy which resulted in the death of 9 civilians including two women and two children.

Zarshad Khan, a PTI MPA from Mardan, stated that the drone strike occurred in his constituency just two days before Eidul Fitr, targeting innocent civilians. Due to grief and fear, the people of Babuzai did not celebrate Eid, he said.

According to Zarshad, some shepherds, who belonged to the Gujjar community from Swat, had been migrating to the area during winters for the past 60–70 years. They had leased the mountains for six months at a cost of Rs500,000.

"They were supposed to return after Eid but just two days before Eid, a drone strike killed nine people, including two children and two women. Their bodies were placed on the motorway in protest.

"These people were not terrorists but innocent civilians. If the security agencies made a mistake, it should be admitted, and they would accept an apology," he said.

He also condemned the statement made by K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur regarding the Katlang incident and called for both a judicial inquiry and the passing of a resolution in the assembly.

Iftikhar Ali Mashwani, who is also from Mardan, questioned who carried out the operation and why. He said the IG and home secretary should be summoned and asked why these innocent civilians were killed.

Malik Adeel Iqbal of the PTI said the incident, based on faulty intelligence, was deeply tragic.

Shafiullah Jan said from 2014 to 2018, the US carried out 430 drone strikes on Pakistani soil, resulting in 1,800 deaths. He said drone strikes are never precise and affect many others. He said the law and order situation in the southern districts is already precarious.

"Our leader [Imran Khan] had protested against drone strikes years ago. If all that is to be done now is table talks, why was not the issue raised earlier? Killing ordinary people in the name of counter-terrorism only pushes the province further into terrorism," he said.

He also accused the authorities of being more focused on breaking the PTI than addressing the real issues. He condemned the statement of Federal Minister for Information Atta Tarar, who allegedly claimed that no civilians were among the dead in the Katlang.

"Women and children were also martyred in the drone strike. However, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the terrorists were sent to hell in the incident.

"Those who witnessed the incident are left heartbroken. A judicial inquiry should be conducted," he added. PTI lawmaker Humayun Khan also stated that shepherds had rented the land in the Katalang areas, adding that all relevant documents were available in this regard.

On March 29, the K-P government issued a statement, expressing regret over civilian casualties during a counterterrorism operation against outlaws in Mardan, extending its "deepest condolences to the affected families" with whom, it said, it stands in the moment of grief.

Recounting details of the operation, the government said security forces conducted an operation in the early hours of March 29 in the remote hilltop area of Katlang in Mardan.

It stated that the operation was based on credible intelligence regarding the presence of armed militants who were using the location as a hideout and transit point.

"The operation successfully neutralised several high-value targets linked to ongoing militant activities in the region. Unfortunately, subsequent reports confirmed the presence of non-combatants, including women and children, at the periphery of the target zone, resulting in tragic civilian casualties," it said.