Pakistan: Protesters block roads in South Waziristan after talks with administration fail
Islamabad [Pakistan], January 11 (ANI): Protesters who had staged a sit-in blocked roads in South Waziristan on Tuesday after talks between their leaders and local administration failed to yield positive results, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported.
The protest sit-in in the South Waziristan district headquarters, Wana, entered the fifth day on Tuesday. The sit-in has been organised by Waziristan Aman Olasi Pasoon (Waziristan peace public movement) to demand that the government restore peace in the district, frequently hit by militant attacks.
The protestors after the failure of negotiations, erected barricades on roads to disrupt traffic as more than 8,000 shops in Wana Bazaar remained closed.
Imran Mukhlis, a leader of Waziristan Aman Olasi Pasoon, while speaking at a press conference said that negotiations with the administration continued since the sit-in started five days ago, but the talks did not yield any results.
"We are giving a message to the international human rights organisations that we are seeking peace in our country," he said as quoted by Dawn newspaper. He, however, said that the government did not bother listening to their demands.
"We are begging for peace from the state institutions. We want peace and better law and order in the region," Mukhlis added.
He said that several talks with the administration had ended without giving any results.
He said that the administration had accepted some of the protesters' demands, including also involving the FC along with the police for patrol duty, speeding up work on the construction of police stations, and setting up new police posts, reported Dawn.
"Despite lengthy consultations with the officials, the negotiating committee of the Waziristan Aman Olasi Pasoon believes that the civil administration is unable to use its constitutional and legal powers to meet the demands of tribal people," Mukhlis said as quoted by Dawn.
Recently, media reported that the large-scale protest against the recent wave of terrorism and lawlessness in the restive South Waziristan in northwest Pakistan continues to occur as protesters blocked the Wana-Razmak road to all traffic for the second day.
Residents of the South Waziristan region staged massive protests in the tribal district and chanted slogans against a surge in terrorism in the tribal district, The News International newspaper reported.
The protests took place at Rustam Bazaar in Wana. The protesters included people from various political parties like the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), National Democratic Movement (NDM), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP).
Additionally, civil society organisations, lawyers, traders and the general public also joined the rally to show their support.
The protesters carried banners and placards and demanded the government play its role in maintaining law and order in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, particularly in the merged tribal districts.
The protests come amid a surge in militancy across Pakistan after Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off its ceasefire agreement with the government on November 28 last year and ordered its militants to stage attacks across the country.
The year 2022 ended with the deadliest month for Pakistan's security personnel in over a decade, said an Islamabad-based think tank as it pointed to the emergence of TTP as the biggest threat to the country. (ANI)