Fata students protest arrest of colleagues

PESHAWAR: The students belonging to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) Tuesday staged a protest against the alleged arbitrary arrests of fellow students and demanded their immediate release.
The students and activists of the Fata Students Federation gathered in front of the Peshawar Press Club and staged the protest. They were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the arrests of the tribal students and in favour of their demands.
Speaking on the occasion, president of the federation, Burhanuddin Chamkani, Imdad Wazir and others alleged that students from Fata were being arrested without any justification. They alleged that the law enforcers had arrested Quresh Afridi, a grad 9 student and resident of Khyber Agency, from Landi Arbab Road in Peshawar some two weeks ago.
Similarly, they said president of the Fata Students Federation Khyber Agency, Arif Aridi, was picked up from the same road two days ago. They said that both the students had been arrested without citing any charges against them.
They said that they contacted the political administration about the arrest and charges against the arrested students but the administration was denying even arresting the two students. “The political administration also hurled threats at us and warned us of dire consequences,” said Burhanuddin. He said that the students were being arrested on the behest of parliamentarians from Fata because they were not happy with the students for highlighting the problems and corruption in Fata. The students asked the Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan and Inspector General of Police Nasir Khan Durrani to take note of the arbitrary arrests of tribal students or else they would stage a sit-in outside the Governor’s House.