Rally held outside Balahisar Fort to support armed forces

PESHAWAR: The members of the civil society on Wednesday gathered outside the Balahisar Fort to express support for the armed forces.

The participants were from political parties, traders, social workers and other segments of the society.

Those who gathered at the entrance to the fort on the Grand Trunk Road, which also serves as the headquarters of the paramilitary Frontier Corps, were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of the armed forces.

A good number of the participants were carrying the national flags.

The people in the rally showered flower petals on the soldiers guarding the main gate of the fort.

They garlanded the soldiers and raised slogans in support of the armed forces.

The participants of the solidarity rally were from different age groups but most of them were youth.

Speaking on the occasion, the citizens paid tributes to the armed forces and said they stood by the army which had always defended the country. Later in the evening, a candle-lit vigil was arranged by the civil society members on the lawn of the Radio Pakistan Peshawar building. Children attended the vigil as well.

It may be mentioned here that violent protests were staged by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers on GT Road outside Balahisar Fort last week while registering anger at the arrest of their party chairman.

They protesters had damaged several vehicles, torched an ambulance and other vehicles during the violence.

The five-storey building of the Radio Pakistan Peshawar, located nearby and the model of the Chaghi Hill on its premises were stormed and torched during the PTI protests as well.

The arson at the radio station damaged the building constructed and commissioned in 1985. The precious record, which pertained to Urdu, Pashto and Hindko languages, was reduced to ashes in the fire.

Meanwhile, a member of the Peshawar City Council from Jamaat-e-Islami, Nasira Ibadat, expressed lament at the violence by mobsters on May 9 and 10.

She said the nation stands by the armed forces.

According to our correspondent adds from Jamrud: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) workers of Khyber district staged a rally in favour of the Pakistan Army in Jamrud subdivision.

The rally was led by PMLN leader Sardar Azam and participated by hundreds of people who were carrying banners and chanting “Pakistan Zindabad!” and “Pak Army Zindabad!”.

Sardar Azam said that people stand by the Pakistan Army and would continue to support it.

“We strongly condemn those who vandalised the buildings in the country and damaged military property a few days ago and demand the government to take strict action against those involved in this heinous crime,” he added.

He said action should be taken so that in the future, no damage is caused to private and public property. He said that nobody was allowed to harm the integrity of the country.

Later, the rally participants moved in vehicles towards Fort Balahisar in Peshawar to express solidarity with the armed forces.