MINGORA: Suspected militants shot dead three peace volunteers in Kabal tehsil of Swat district on Monday, police said.

They said that peace volunteer Zahir Shah, also a teacher in a government school at Gul Jabba area of tehsil Kabal, was on his way to school when suspected militants opened firing on him. He was killed on the spot after receiving three bullets in his head and neck, they added.

Two more members of village defence committee in Bara Bandai area of tehsil kabal were also gunned down by suspected militants on Monday night.

Police said that Mohammad Zeb and Fareed were standing outside a local mosque after offering Ishah prayers when suspected militants opened firing on them. As a result both of them were killed on the spot. Mohamad Zeb and Fareed were members of the local village defence committee.

Members of village defence committees feel insecure in the district

The targeted killings of members of village peace committees caused a sense of insecurity among the local peace volunteers.

Idrees Khan, president of Nepkikhel Amn Jirga, told Dawn that instead of showing sorrow over the targeted killings, people should come forward to work against militants. “It is our collective responsibility to fight for peace and eliminate terrorism,” he added.

Mr Khan said that police and other law enforcement agencies did not have enough manpower to protect each and every resident of Swat that had a population 2.3 million. People should extend their support to the security forces in combating terrorism, he added.

According to unofficial data collected through different sources, more than 24 peace volunteers have been killed in Swat since restoration of peace in the scenic valley. Most of the incidents of targeted killings have taken place in Matta and Kabal tehsils of the district.

Haji Zahid Khan, president of All Swat Hotels Association and a member of local peace committee, said that despite of tall claims about restoration of peace, the administration failed to arrest the people involved in incidents of targeted killing in the district. The administration should allow the peace volunteer to take steps for their protection if it could not fulfil its responsibility, he added.

JUI-F: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led provincial government failed to bring change in the province during its 16-month rule, said Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl provincial chief Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan here on Monday.

Addressing a workers convention of his party in Amankot, he said that PTI staged sit-in in Islamabad to divert the attention of people from the poor performance of its provincial government. The agitation by PTI was causing huge financial losses to the country, he added.

“We will not allow Imran Khan to flee abroad after he caused billion of rupees losses to Pakistan,” the JUI-F leader said. He alleged that Imran Khan was being used by the enemies of Pakistan for their vested interests.

Why Imran Khan formed government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and enjoyed privileges as Member of National Assembly if he thought that the last general elections were not fair, Maulana Gul Naseeb questioned.

“The PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has failed to deliver. It could not fulfil any of its promises about bringing change,” he said. He added that people were disappointed with the performance of provincial government. The JUI-F leader said that their party would support all the steps aimed at bringing reforms in the election process. However, he said that they would not support any step that could harm political system in the country.

JUI-F Swat emir Qari Mehmood, general sectary Haji Ishaq Zahid, former senator Rahat Hussain and other leaders also addressed the convention.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2014