Daily Times

LAHORE: The residents of Parachinar on Friday staged a daylong protest demonstration in front of political agent’s office and other places against the attack on Shia community that killed at least 22 people, but the mainstream national media turned a blind eye to the post-blast activities.

According to reports, thousands of protesters put the bodies of the blast victims in front of the political agent’s office and demanded sacking of the political agent.

The situation soon worsened, as security officials opened fire to disperse the protesters – something that most of the media houses did not bother reporting.

Parachinar central mosque’s khatib Allama Fida Mazhari claimed that the FC personnel opened firing on the protesters, in which many people were injured. However, Commandant Kurram Militia Colonel Omar Malik rejected the reports and said that the security forces only fired into the air to disperse the demonstrators who had gathered to protest the incident.

Social media websites like Twitter and Facebook also buzzed with condemnation messages, criticising the local security forces as well as the mainstream media for the post-blast treatment meted out to the residents of Parachinar.

“Protestors in Parachinar with Bodies of Victims on the road. National Media turns a blind eye. Sectarian outfits continue to attack Shias”, wrote M Jibran Nasir, a Karachi-based lawyer, in one of his tweets.

“Deja vu. Shia community protesting with their loved ones’ bodies in #Parachinar. Mainstream media focus on JI’s protest against @KElectricPk”, tweeted columnist Ali Salman Alvi.

“People protesting today’s blast in #Parachinar. Protest is still going on and no media coverage. #ShiaGenocide”, said an activist Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi in a tweet.

Kurram agency is considered one of the most sensitive tribal regions, as it borders three Afghan provinces and was once the main route for cross-border militant activity. People also flooded the social media with messages for authorities to seal the border with Afghanistan once again to stop terrorists’ movement.