LAKKI MARWAT: The closure of Peshawar-Karachi Highway and other roads by protesting policemen has caused shortage of daily use items in Lakki Marwat.

The protest suit-in by police officials entered third day on Wednesday. The continuous closure of road has caused shortage of essential commodities, especially fruits and vegetables, in Lakki Marwat district and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The protesters and locals also blocked Manjiwala Chowk, linking the district with Peshawar through Indus Highway.

Dozens of container, trucks and other vehicles transporting various commodities including fruits, vegetables and other items are parked along the highway as the protesters have set up tents at Lt Adnan Shaheed Square popularly known as Tajazai Chowk.

Several truck drivers told Dawn that they were optimistic that the agitation would end in a couple of days, but to no avail. They said that they had been stuck on the highway for the last three days and were worried about the goods loaded in their vehicles.

A transporter said that the sizzling heat and sticky weather could prove detrimental for food commodities. “Several food items including fruits and vegetables will rot if the highway remains closed in the coming days,” he added.

Transporters asked protesters to open the highway for some time, keeping in view the troubles faced by them.

A local leader of traders said that the highway was used to transport fruits and vegetables from Sindh and Balochistan to Lakki Marwat and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said that the closure of the main artery as a result of protest by police officials halted the supply of food items to many parts of the province. He said that he had booked a truck loaded with bananas from Sindh but it could not reach the the district on time owing to the road blockade.

“Now the driver demands an additional fare of Rs25,000 if he uses the Mianwali route,” he said.

On the third day, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s son Maulana Asjad Mehmood, former adviser to chief minister and brother of MNA Sher Afzal Marwat Khalid Latif, Malik Riaz and other leaders addressed the protest gathering of police officials.

Local elders, traders and members of civil society also joined the protest to express solidarity with the protesting policemen.

The protest camp has also provided the political elite with an opportunity to visit it and create a highly charged atmosphere by delivering aggressive speeches. However, so far no peaceful solution has been found to the issue so far.

Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Qasim Ali Khan and FRP Commandant Ishfaq Anwar, who also commanded Lakki Marwat district police force as the regional police officer of Bannu, also reached here and engaged the representatives protesters in negotiations.

Burhan, a local lawyer, claimed that after talks the protesters’ representatives and a government team were close to a patch-up but a formal announcement to that effect would be made by high ranking officials. In a voice message circulating in chat groups, he said that the draft agreement was being prepared.

“It is an honour for the entire tribe and police that the matter has been resolved in a peaceful manner,” he said. However, a police official denied any such breakthrough during negotiations.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2024