Ahmad Nabi
LANDI KOTAL: Tribesmen initiated protest demonstration at Bacha Square, main Landi Kotal Bazaar on Thursday against bad attitude of Khyber Rifles towards the local tribesmen.
Addressing to the angry mob their leaders including Naib ameer Jamat-e-Islami, Fata Zarnoor Afridi, Awami National Party Khyber Agency President Shah Hussain, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf local leader Abdur Raziq Shinwari and others expressed their disapproval on dishonoring of local tribal in the name of what they called it, unjustified search operation being launched by Khyber Rifles in area.
They blamed the troops had broke in houses of Khuga Khel tribesmen in mid nights without earlier information and harassed the children and women folks that was regrettable, adding in the name of investigation more than forty innocent persons including students had been arrested. The force took in custody number of vehicles that was lonely source of the local tribal for earning three meals, they remarked.
“Since the first day of the creation of Pakistan, tribesmen have been subjected to all kind of injustice and atrocities although they have never hesitated to sacrifice for the sake of their motherland”, they added and said the local were compelled on starvation by adopting anti-tribal policies at Torkham border.
The protesters were on the view that since long, through unnecessary actions the tribesmen instigated but dwellers of Landi Kotal denounced every type of militancy and would never be part of it.
They also criticized the political administration and Member Parliaments for their roles of silent spectators. The tribal demanded of the Corp Commander Peshawar, Inspector General Frontier Corp and other authorities concerned to have mercy on them, forthwith halt the disrespect of the tribesmen in the name of search operations, release the guiltless detainees and handover the sized vehicles to its owners.
They warned that if their grievances were not addressed there would be no other option for them but to initiate indefinite agitation in front of General Headquarter (GHQ). At the end the protestors marched to in front of Landi Kotal press club while chanting full throat slogans in favor of their demands and shortly dispersed peacefully.
