After four days of protests in front of the National Press Club, a group of Mehsud tribesmen from South Waziristan staged a sit-in at Super Market.

With politicians joining them in a show of solidarity, they cited the long-running military operation and the lack of government support as key concerns.

The leader of the group, advocate Sherpao Khan, said that in the five years since its commencement, the army’s Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Salvation) had killed many innocent Mehsuds. “We had to leave our homes because of the operation,” he said, adding “and even after five years, we cannot go back.”

Talking to Dawn, Sherpao Khan said that while the army had cleared Saratoga, other parts of South Waziristan remained in the control of the extremists.