SHANGLA: Residents of Chakesar and Puran areas on Friday blocked main roads in their respective tehsil headquarters to protest the recent deadly terrorist attacks on police checkposts in the district.
The call for protest was given by the Jamaat-i-Islami, with people from different parts of the district showing up in large numbers.
Theparticipants shouted slogans against terrorism and for peace.
Jamaat-i-Islami leader Ghafar Khan led the rally in Aloch, Puran, while the Chakesar protest was led by former election candidate Sher Alam Khan.
Sher Alam complained that two policemen were martyred and three injured last month in an attack on Gunangar checkpost.
He said residents donated land for police checkposts but unfortunately, even the police were vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
“We have the ability to protect our lives and property and eliminateterroriosm,” he said.
Mr Alam warned terrorists against attacking police stations and checkposts and said residents had repulsed attacks in 2008-10 and forced the Taliban to flee from the area.
JI leader Syed Ghafar Khan told the Aloch rally that law-enforcement agencies had failed to perform their duties as terrorists attacked police posts and fled.
He said increasing terrorist attacks had badly affected peace in the district.
Another speaker, Dayan Ghafar Khan, complained the district police officers didn’t ensure treatment of the personnel who suffered injuries in the line of duty.
The protesters demanded the transfer of the district police officer over attacks on police checkposts. Theydispersed peacefully afterward.
GUTTED: A fire gutted two shops in Karora Bazaar here on Thursday night.
However, no damage to public life was reported.
Rescue 1122 said the fire erupted in a shop before destroying it and an adjacent shop.
Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2025