PESHAWAR: Awami National Party has condemned eruption of fire at cattle and vegetable markets in North Waziristan and sought probe into the incident.

ANP provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain said in a statement here on Thursday that due to the fire, dozens of cattle burnt alive while many shops and storehouses were gutted.

“It is very sad that animals were burnt to death in the tragedy,” he said. Expressing sorrow over the fire that broke out in cattle and vegetable markets Mirali tehsil of of North Waziristan, he said that according to locals and eyewitnesses, the fire was caused by mortar shells.

“Local businessmen have lost millions of rupees in this incident. Unfortunately, most of the victims of military operation Zarb-i-Azb are still deprived of compensation. The recent tragic incident has added to their miseries,” he lamented.

Mr Hussain said that government and relevant institutions should not leave the affected businessmen helpless. He said that the damage should be examined in detail to immediately compensate people.

All the facts, he said, should be brought to light by conducting a transparent investigation into the incident. He said that such incidents pushed Pakhtuns affected by terrorism to further deprivation. He expressed solidarity with all the victims of the incident. “We will raise our voice on every forum to seek justice and compensation for victims,” he added.

Meanwhile, ANP provincial general secretary Hussain Shah Yousafzai in a separate statement said that the land dispute between two groups in Kurram tribal district was taking a serious turn where use of heavy weapons in the clash left local population insecure.

He said that infighting was extremely dangerous not only for locals but for the entire region. He said that government should ensure a ceasefire between the warring groups and find a permanent solution to the issue.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2024