JUIF stages peace rally in Swat

MINGORA: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF), Swat chapter, on Monday staged a rally that criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for not maintaining peace in the Swat district and other parts of the province.

“The law and order situation remerged in Swat and elsewhere in the province owing to the flawed policies of provincial government and failure of talks as the stakeholders were not taken on board,” Maulana Fatahatullah, the district Swat chief of JUIF, said while addressing a protest rally staged for peace at the Nishat Chowk here.

JUIF local leaders, including Maulana Hujjatullah, Syed Qamar, Qari Mahmood and others also addressed the rally. Maulana Fatahatullah said that they wanted peace in the region for which they could go to any extent.

He held the provincial government responsible for the poor law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because of its alleged illogical approach to the issue of militancy and terrorism. The JUIF leader said the KP government was not capable of handling the situation and restoring peace in Malakand Division and elsewhere in the province.

He came down hard on the former federal minister Murad Saeed for staging protests in Islamabad for peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and dared him to come to Swat and organise rallies for peace from his own constituency.

JUIF spokesperson Dr Amjad said that his party had always raised a voice for peace in Swat and no one should gain political mileage out of it. He said that peace was a prerequisite for progress and prosperity and the KP government was duty-bound to take practical steps to bring calm to the region. The JUIF workers later staged a peace walk from Nishat Chowk to Green Chowk. The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in support of peace.