Bara killings: Curfew in suburban Peshawar continues on third day

Residents say they have run out of food, drinking water.


Our Correspondent January 21, 2013
Roads to Sheikhan village, suburban Peshawar remained blocked on the third day of the curfew imposed there to stop Khyber Agency tribesmen from entering the metropolis. PHOTO: FILE

PESHAWAR:


The curfew imposed to prevent tribesmen from Khyber Agency to enter Peshawar, continued on its third day on Sunday.


A curfew was imposed in Sheikhan village on Friday after tribesmen from Bara staged a sit-in for three days outside the Governor House in protest of the killing of 18 people, including a woman and two children. Police forcefully dispersed the protesters on Thursday after which law enforcement agencies blocked Bara and Jamrud roads.

“Announcements have been made that any man found violating the curfew will be responsible for his own fate,” said an elder Sheikh Akbar Khan, adding there is no food or drinking water as the curfew was imposed without any prior warning.

“Frontier Constabulary, Frontier Corps as well as a heavy contingent of police are patrolling the area and there are regular announcements from mosques to remind everyone about the curfew,” he added.

A portion of Bara Road has been closed for vehicular traffic for the past three years which forced the tribesmen to use the Sheikhan route to reach Peshawar, but with Sheikhan under curfew, the Agency border has been effectively sealed.



“Forces should relax the curfew and give people a chance to go out and buy food items,” said another resident Muslim Khan, adding that there is no electricity in the area either.

Small routes entering from Bara to Sarband and Shalobar, Khyber Agency to Hayatabad also remained closed for traffic.

Bara tribesmen have threatened to launch another series of protests if the government fails to halt the military operation in their area and lift the curfew within 48-hours. The deadline was given on Saturday when a jirga comprising 200 elders, including political and religious party leaders and relatives of the 18 victims, was held with Governor Barrister Masood Kausar. The tribesmen further demanded that a judicial commission to investigate the Alam Gudar killings be formed and the victims’ families compensated.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21st, 2013.

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