Daily Times

Citizens in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa took to the streets on Friday against the recent wave of terrorism in the province. The rallies come as Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terrorism, mostly in KP, but also in Balochistan and the Punjab town of Mianwali, which borders KP. A terror attack also reached as far as the peripheries of Islamabad. On Friday, several rallies organised by local rights organisations were held in KP’s Shangla district. The leadership of different political parties, including the PTI, PPP, Awami National Party (ANP) and others, also addressed the rallies. The participants, carrying white flags, demanded justice for the victims of the ghastly blast in Peshawar on January 30 as well as sustainable peace in the region. The main rally began from Karora area and upon reaching the district headquarters of Alpuri, turned into a huge gathering as others joined. The speakers said protecting citizens was the responsibility of the authorities concerned, lamenting that they did not seem interested and only engaged in political matters. ANP leader Muhammad Yar Khan said the Peshawar tragedy was the “biggest security lapse” and questioned how a suicide bomber was able to enter such a sensitive area. He said that the sole purpose for taking to the streets was to “fight against terrorism and restore complete peace in the region”. “We will not let anyone sabotage KP’s peace,” he said. He also questioned what the establishment was doing regarding the matter and why the people were not being provided security. Rallies were also held in Puran tehsil’s Aloch bazaar and Kana tehsil’s Olandar bazaar where people recorded their protest against the Peshawar blast and demanded the government maintain peace in the region. They demanded KP Inspector General Moazzam Jah Ansari resign from his position if he had failed to protect the police and had put the citizens at greater risk. The protesters said they would initiate a mass peace movement in the region if terrorism was not eliminated. Meanwhile, the PTI – the former ruling party in the province – also staged an ‘Aman March’ in Swabi, Mardan, Charsadda, Bannu, Lower Dir and Timergara. Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser addressed a crowd in Swabi, saying that KP was at the forefront of the war against terror and would no longer permit someone else’s war on its land. PTI leader Kamran Bangash shared footage of a crowd in Peshawar demanding peace.