Rally seeks end to bloodshed on Pakhtun soil

PESHAWAR: The leaders and workers belonging to different political parties and social activists on Saturday staged a protest outside the Peshawar Press Club against the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines bombing and urged the government to take proper steps to end bloodshed on Pakhtun soil.

Awami National Party leaders Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Sardar Hussain Babak, National Democratic Movement Chairman Mohsin Dawar, Qaumi Watan Party leader Shakil Waheedullah, Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement Chief Manzoor Pashteen, Mazdoor Kisan Party representatives and leaders and activists of other organisations participated in the rally.

Addressing the rally, ANP leader Mian Iftikhar Hussain asked the leaders in the country to realise the gravity of the situation as the patience of the Pakhtuns was wearing thin.

“When my son was martyred, I told them that I could not be cowed down through such cowardly acts,” he recalled, adding that the state had yet to give an answer as to why banned TTP spokesperson Ihsanullah Ihsan was given free passage to escape.

The ANP leader said that those responsible for the escape of Ihsanullah Ihsan were the enemies of the Pakhtuns. He said the protests would continue for a very long time; therefore, the government and the state should implement the National Action Plan and avoid creating any distraction.

“Avoid creating distraction and implement every point of the NAP,” he urged the government, saying the government’s intention of creating consensus showed its lack of willpower to tackle the issue seriously.

“Nobody will trust you to create fresh consensus when you failed to implement the plan evolved after creating a consensus earlier,” he added.

PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen said that it was the responsibility of Pashtuns to take a united stand for bringing peace. He said innocent people, including women, children and elderly people, were butchered in terror attacks across the Pashtun region. He added the police had no personal enmity with anyone but they became the target for being Pashtuns. “It is the continuation of the 20 years policy in the region,” he added.

The PTM chief said that no other area in the country was facing such large-scale violence as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that Pashtuns would no longer tolerate war on their land and urged the people to continue these protests in all areas against terrorism.

Sardar Hussain Babak of ANP said the lawlessness had affected every aspect of Pakhtuns life. “We have suffered human and material loss due to terrorism in our region,” he said.

He demanded continuation of the protests to create awareness and force everyone to take serious steps for eliminating it.

National Democratic Movement Chairman Mohsin Dawar said that the Pashtuns would not allow their land to be used for another war. The war had already brought immeasurable destruction to their land and further games would not be tolerated, he added.