KHAR: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leaders on Wednesday urged the government to arrest the killers of party activist Qari Muhammad Ilyas within 10 days as per the agreement reached between the jirga and government the previous day.
“The government must implement the agreement in letter and spirit or else the JUIF would stage sit-ins with full force in all the merged districts and Peshawar for an indefinite period,” Mufti Abdul Shakoor, the JUIF Member National Assembly, told a press conference here.
JUI-F other leaders, including Ahmad Saeed, Said Badshah and others were also present on the occasion. Mufti Abdul Shakoor, who is also JUI-F chief for merged districts, said that the government should ensure provision of security and protection to the Ulema and general public. He held responsible those for the killing of Qari Ilyas, who were time and again asked for provision of security in the wake of threats to his life.
The lawmaker believed that Bajaur was faced with the worst kind of law and order situation but the personnel of district police were only serving the officials and government elected members.
He thanked the party workers, supporters, traders, lawyers, transporters and general public for their participation in the two-day sit-in against the murder of Qari Ilyas. Qari Muhammad Ilyas was shot dead soon after he came out of the examination centre in Khar, the headquarters of the Bajaur tribal district, Monday last.
The slain JUI-F activist was also the candidate of the party for the general councillor seat in the local government elections. Soon after the incident, a large number of JUIF workers and supporters rushed to the spot and staged a protest demonstration against the killing.
The protesters continued the strike on the second day of the incident in which a large number of people, party workers, traders, lawyers and transporters participated. Main bazaars in major towns, including Khar, Nawagai, Inayat Killay and elsewhere remained shut and no business activities were witnessed across the district. The lawyers also observed a strike and boycotted the courts in the district.
The woman members of the victim family, relatives and JUIF female activists also participated in the sit-in staged against the killing of the party activist. Later, a representative jirga headed by former KP governor Shaukatullah Khan and provincial Minister Anwarzeb Khan held successful talks with the government and announced ending the protest in the district against the killing Qari Ilyas.
The jirga received assurance from the government that the victim family would be compensated as per the Shuhada Package, a case will be registered under the Terrorism Act and the accused would be arrested within 10 days.