Valentine’s day clashes: Two PkSF members arrested

PESHAWAR: Two University of Peshawar students and activists of the Pukhtun Students Federation (PkSF) charged for this year’s Valentine’s Day clashes in the varsity, were arrested from the court after their bail before arrest (BBA) applications were rejected. The prosecution counsel told Additional District and Sessions Judge Badaruddin that the accused were arrested on charges of rioting inside the university with the student wing of another political party on February 14. He said their names had been included in the FIR of the incident. The court accepted BBA applications of four students and rejected those of Tariq Afghan and Yasir Yousafzai, who were then arrested. On February 14, an armed clash occurred between Awami National Party’s PkSF and Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing, Islami Jamiat Talaba, over Valentine’s Day celebrations on the campus. Three students were injured on the first day of the clashes and several hostel rooms of PkSF students were also burnt. Later, the hostel rooms of IJT activists were attacked.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2014.