PESHAWAR, May 24: The anti-Taliban Adezai Qaumi Lashkar has stopped supporting the law enforcement agencies, blaming Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for weakening coordination between police and different peace bodies in Peshawar.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, chief of Adezai Qaumi Lashkar Dilawar Khan said that they would stop supporting law enforcement agencies immediately against Taliban as provincial government was not serious to get support of armed volunteers against militants.

“The government instead of supporting us against militants has decided to withdraw police guards from the leaders of the peace body and leave them at the mercy of militants,” he said.

Flanked by other leaders of the peace body, Mr Khan said the lashkar had been raised by people on the directives of provincial government. He said that 105 volunteers of the lashkar including its founding chief Haji Abdul Malik were killed and hundreds were injured in militants’ attacks but government was not ready to recognise their services.

“If police guards are withdrawn then the lashkar leaders will be unable to move as government doesn’t allow private guards on roads and Taliban will take advantage of the situation,” he said.

Mr Khan said that entire responsibility would rest with the provincial government if any loss was inflicted on the lives and properties of the peace volunteers.

He said that people of their area rendered great sacrifices for safety of Peshawar and supported the government’s owned war against terrorism. But in response, the ANP-led government did nothing for them, he alleged.

He said that Adezai union council was situated on the outskirts of Peshawar and adjacent to semi-autonomous Darra Adamkhel and Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency. He said that they protected Peshawar and joined hands with the government against militants. The lashkar chief said that they faced targeted killings and suicide attacks but government did not express even sympathy with the affected people of Adezai.

He also referred to the suicide attacks on mosques, funeral prayers, cattle markets and passenger vehicles in the area and said that children of the peace volunteers were unable to continue their studies but the government was least bothered to make arrangements for them.

The volunteers, he said, had been fighting against Taliban with their own limited resources though the government had promised to provide ammunition, ration and other facilities to them to stop militants from entering Peshawar city. But till date the government failed to provide them what it had pledged earlier, he said.

“Our homes were bombed, we lost our loved ones and left with the constant fear of militants’ attacks,” an emotionally charged Mr Khan said. He renewed the pledge that they would continue to fight against those, who attacked their village, but they would not follow government’s instructions in that regard.

He said that in case of any unpleasant incident with any volunteer of Adezai, FIR will be registered against Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilaur, Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain and high ranking police officers of Peshawar.

Capital City Police Officer Syed Imtiaz Altaf, when contacted, said that police needed support of the peace body and efforts were being made to resolve the issue. He said that provincial government had already approved a support fund but police had not yet got it for the purpose.

“We will take some steps to reorganise peace bodies and bring certain reforms in them,” he said and added that all those issues would be resolved by holding negotiations with the stakeholders.