Protest walk: Peace committee members demand security

Police search for killers of slain doctor.

KANJU: Nepkikhel Aman Jirga and village defence committee members on Tuesday demanded the government to ensure their security.

Joined by civil society organisations, the demonstrators staged a protest walk from Bandai to Kanju and urged the government to revisit the decision of pulling out troops from Swat valley.

“No effort to sabotage peace in Swat valley will be tolerated. We will fight for peace alongside the Pakistan Army till our last breath,” said one of the protesters.



Participants of the walk also condemned the IED attack on General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Swat, Major General Sanaullah Khan Niazi, in which he and two other army officers were martyred in Upper Dir.

During the last few months, more than 10 village defence committee members have been targeted in various incidents across Swat.

On Monday, a peace committee member was shot dead in Batkhta Band area of Mingora.

Dr Rahmat Ghanni was returning home at night after meeting relatives when unidentified assailants opened fire, killing him on the spot, said police officials.

Locals said Ghanni was a homeopathic doctor and ran his own private hospital. He was also an active member of the local village defence committee.

The attackers managed to escape after the incident, while the police have registered an FIR and started searching for the culprits.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2013.