Daily Times

KHYBER AGENCY: Political Alliance of Khyber Agency denounced annoying of tribesmen on the pretext of search operations and crackdowns launched against tribesmen of Khuga Khel next to non-custom paid (NPC) vehicles and warned of indefinite protests to be launched if it was not halted forthwith.

Addressing a joint press conference held in Landi Kotal Press Club on Wednesday tribal leaders of various political parties including Fata Sectary General of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Fazalrehman (JUI-F) Mufti Muhammad Ijaz,Pakistan People’s Party, Khyber Agency President, Hazrat Wali Afridi, Fata President of Pakistan Justice & Democratic Party(PJDP), Daulat Shah Afridi, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Landi Kotal chapter President, Zarbullah Shinwari, local leaders of Jamat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Awami National Party (ANP) respectively Muqthader Shah Afridi, Israr Shinwari and Meenawal Shinwari said that yesterday troops of Khyber Rifles Wing of the Frontier Corp (FC) violated the honor and respect values of tribal society while entering into the houses of the tribesmen of Khuga Khel tribe without prior information in the name of a search operation to arrest miscreants who had fired shells on forces cantonment that was a matter of concern.

They arrested 40 allegedly innocent tribesmen and set conditions for their releases to handover the culprits that was impossible for them, they maintained.

“The tribal of Khuga Khel are peaceful people and are not involved in any anti-state activity and if the forces have any information pertaining to the miscreants, the entire tribe will assist them to apprehend the criminals”, they regretted.

They also condemned the step motherly behavior towards tribesmen and said NCP vehicle were permitted in other parts of the country including Malakand Division but the Khyber Rifles has initiated a crackdown against it in Landi Kotal and seized numbers of cars which was a deliberate attempt to push the tribal youth to militancy.

Leaders of the Political Alliance blamed the forces and administration officials for ignorance in abduction of 17 locals who had been kidnapped by unknown armed persons more than five months ago and were still missing but ironically the authorities did not adopt a concrete strategy for their release that put a question mark on the efficiency of the responsible ones.

They also disapproved the management policy, applied in Torkham and asked for initiating of pro-tribal schemes at the border.

The political elites warned that if the Khyber Rifles what they said unnecessary operation was not immediately stop and release order of 40 innocent detainees was not issued beside with returning of seized NCP vehicles than they would start massive protest from 6th of February. They threatened of blacking of Pak-Afghan highway, boycotting of the up-coming polio campaign and social boycott of the administration and the FC.

Published in Daily Times, February 1^st 2018.