Peshawar: Police disperse tribesmen's sit-in

PESHAWAR: Riot police late on Wednesday dispersed a sit-in staged by the bereaved families of the eighteen tribesmen who were brutally gunned down in their own houses by men known to no one in Tehsil Bara Khyber Agency, Geo News reported.

“Police fired teargas at the protestors sitting in front of governor house with the bodies of ten of the total 18 deceased”, sources told Geo News.

Everyone ran amuck with their eyes burning as the thick white lacrimator started oozing out of the shells, eyewitnesses said.

“As soon as the protestors dispersed the authorities transported the dead bodies to the morgue”, the sources added.

The protesters in hundreds had brought the dead bodies of tribal people from Tehsil Bara to governor house to register their grievances over killings of innocent of tribesmen.

Political Agent and additional secretary home and tribal department tried to persuade the committee and reach a conclusion however the representative committee of tribesmen which consists of members
from different political parties and traders did not agree with the officials.

Meanwhile chief secretary Ghulam Dastagir Khan, IG police Mohammad Akbar Khan Hotti, Minister information Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Mian Iftikhar Hussain and other high officials reached governor house to discuss the situation and convince the protesting tribesmen to end their sit in and bury their dead bodies.

The busiest Sher Shah Soori Road was blocked for all kind of traffic since 12; 30pm while the transports including public transports were diverted to Shoba bazaar to main Saddar.

The demonstrators led by Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf leader Haji Iqbal Afridi, former Senator Haji Muhammad Shah Afridi and President of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Association and others, who through Saddar road reached to governor house wherein they held sit-in, which was still continued.

Later, provincial Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Prof Muhammad Ibrahim, Israrullah Advocate, ex MNA Sabir Awan and other prominent leaders affiliated with different political parties paid visit the spot to expressed solidarity with the tribesmen in this regard.

It is worth mentioning here that the federal minister Hamidullah Jan’s guards opened fire on protesters when they tried to assail the minister, resulting one tribesman received injury that was shifted to hospital. The federal minister Hamidullah Jan, who belongs to Bara Khyber Agency and had been elected for national assembly.

Tight security measures were taken to avoid any unpleasant incident while the protesters had vowed not to call off their sit-in unless their demands were fulfilled if it took several days.

“Enough is enough,” the bereaved family members told reporters. “We can’t see more dead bodies of our innocent children, women and youth for doing nothing,” they wept.

Holding placards inscribed with various slogans in favour of tribesmen and against ongoing military operation in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) particularly in tehsil bara Khyber Agency as ‘operation is not development but is symbol of destruction, end play of blood and fire, are we not Pakistan and it is regretful over silence of international organizations for human rights on killings of innocent tribal people.

The demands, including halt of military operation, termination of Inspector General of Frontier Corps (FC) and Commandant Mehsud scouts and replacement of core commander. They demanded for FIR against the commandant.

They also appealed to the Supreme Court to take action against the concerned security forces and form a judicial commission to probe into killings of innocent tribal people since the military operation launched.
The dead bodies identified as Gul Jamal, Jamal, Jehangir, Alamgir, Rahmat, Omar, Ateeq, Awal Raheem, Hazrat Ali, Minhaj, Abd-ul-Khaliq, Muhammad Khan, Nihar (Child), Abd-ul-Jalil, Samiuddin, Chapkey.