Mobility affected: Commuters face another roadblock

Around 30 protesters demanded end to drone strikes, aid for IDPs.

PESHAWAR: Sher Shah Suri Road was blocked yet again for a protest. This time, 30 protesters managed to keep the road barricaded for six hours.

The protest was held by Mutahida Qabail Party (MQP) of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) who demanded an end to drone attacks and aid for the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDP) in different parts of the province.

The protesters were led by MQP Vice Chairman Malik Habib Orakzai and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders from Waziristan. Majority of the demonstrators were University of Peshawar students who carried placards and kept the protest alive by chanting the occasional slogan.

“The government must negotiate with the Taliban to restore peace in the region and Fata should be made into a province called Qabailistan,” said Malik Habib Orakzai, adding that drones are killing innocent people and should be stopped immediately.



Noor said tribesmen wish to educate their children, but there are no colleges and schools. He appealed to the government to reopen schools and construct a separate university for the people of Fata.

Protesters also demanded Rs3 million for the rehabilitation  of each IDP family and Rs1 million for victims of military operations.

The police, who had anticipated the number of protesters to be much higher, had sealed every street leading to the road and deployed several personnel on all corners.

Two armoured personnel carriers were also present to block the road for traffic. According to their estimate, around 50 people came and not a single person belonged to Khyber Agency.

A police official at the scene said they had received an SMS about the protest, admitting they had not predicted the outcome would be so small. He added necessary safety measures were implemented as they did not want the incident of January 16 to be repeated. More than a thousand tribesmen staged a sit-in outside the Governor House on January 16 after the killing of 18 tribesmen allegedly at the hands of security forces.  People, however, criticised the police for creating a curfew-like situation in the heart of the city. As it took another hour and a half for forces to open the road, commuters were forced to take longer routes, while some people walked to their destinations.

This was the third recent incident when the stretch of Sher Shah Suri Road between FC Chowk and Peshawar prison was blocked amid protests.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2013.