PESHAWAR: Residents from various villages of Khyber district held a protest demonstration here on Sunday against the deteriorating law and order situation in Tirah valley. They called on the federal and provincial governments to take effective measures for restoring peace in the area.

The protesters, led by Jamaat-i-Islami Khyber district emir Shah Faisal Afridi, gathered outside the Peshawar Press Club. They carried banners and placards inscribed with demands for an end to the military operation.

Addressing the occasion, Shah Faisal claimed that many people had been killed and injured in Tirah valley due to the bombardments. He said, “An atmosphere of war has been created in Tirah; the operation should be stopped. This is the time to provide peace and employment to the tribal people. The government should provide health facilities on an emergency basis,” the JI leader stated.

He expressed serious concern over the decisions announced by the apex committee during a recent meeting and urged Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to take action on behalf of the poor people and halt the operation.

The government, he said, should focus on providing basic facilities like education, healthcare, and road infrastructure to ease the lives of the people, rather than adding to their problems.

He emphasised that it was the duty of the chief minister to represent the people of his province in a befitting manner, instead of creating more difficulties for them.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2024