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Published 05 Mar, 2013 12:05am

Tribesmen protest drone attacks

PESHAWAR, March 4: Tribesmen from South and North Waziristan agencies on Monday staged a protest demonstration at Sher Shah Suri Road against the drone attacks and asked the government to stop supporting the US-led war on terror.

Holding banners and portraits of the victims of drone attacks, they shouted slogans against the government for failing to press US to stop attacks on innocent people in Fata.

JUI-S Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amir Maulana Yousaf, who led the protesters, said drone attacks were against the human rights and international law, lamenting that the government was unable to save lives of innocent tribal people.

He said PPP-led government was following polices of the former dictator Pervez Musharraf which resulted in law and order situation. Later, the protesters took out a procession from Peshawar Press Club to Governor House, where they presented a memorandum to the governor demanding end to drone attacks.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Engineer Shaukatullah said that the government was taking all-out measures to rehabilitate the internally displaced persons of North and South Waziristan agencies in a dignified manner.

He was talking to the protesting tribal elders from both the agencies who accompanied by ex-MNA from Nowshera Maulana Hamidul Haq and other senior leadership of JUI-S had come to the Governor House to convey their concerns to the governor on Monday.

Maulana Hamidul Haq presented a memorandum containing demands of the people of both the agencies to the governor on the occasion.

The governor said that he was conscious of the feelings and difficulties of the tribesmen and was in contact with the concerned quarters to ease problems of the affected people.

Responding to a point with regard to provision of compensation, the governor said, “We have set a good precedent of transparent and efficient process with regard to disbursement of compensation amount to the affected people in Bajaur Agency and Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency, and steps are underway to replicate the same in rest of Fata,” he said.

Meanwhile, talking to a delegation of Peshawar Press Club the governor stressed the importance of more effective role and contribution of media in projecting positive image of the society.

The governor appreciated the spirit and courageous role of the press community of both the province and Fata for fulfilling their professional responsibilities in difficult hours.

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