Wheel-jam strike observed in Bannu against lawlessness

BANNU: A successful shutdown and wheel-jam strike was observed in Bannu city and its surrounding areas on Monday, on the call of the tribal elders to protest lawlessness and press for acceptance of other demands.

The city was sealed off from all entry and exit points, with sit-ins staged at six key locations where tents were set up, leading to deserted roads and a complete shutdown of fruit and vegetable markets.

Former senators Baz Muhammad Khan, Professor Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, and Dr Pir Sahib Zaman visited the six sit-in sites led by tribal elders.The public fully complied with the call for protest and road blockades, marking it as the second time in Bannu’s history that such a strike under Plan A was successful.

Meanwhile, due to internet and mobile service suspension across the district and the blockage of main roads, Bannu remained cut off from the rest of the country, hindering coordination between elders and protest organizers.

Initially, under the leadership of Malik Ashoor Khan Durrani, Malik Adnan Khan, Malik Raza Khan, and former Chairman Sajjad Khan, the Bannu-Peshawar Road was completely blocked at Durrani Abshar Chowk, with all transport suspended except for emergency vehicles.

At another protest site outside the Engineering University Bannu Campus in Chakar Mandan, tribal leaders, including Malik Khalid Riaz Khan, Malik Gul Khan Mandan, Malik Yousafullah Khan, and others, led the blockade of the Bannu-Dera Ismail Khan Road. On the Bannu-Miranshah Road, near the Cantt Police Station, large tents were set up by tribes including the Miryan, Amandi, Mamashkhel, and Sokri.The protest was led by Dr. Pir Sahib Zaman, NDM Provincial Secretary General Nadeem Askar, and others, with large crowds participating.

Ahmadzai Wazir elders also staged sit-ins on Bannu Township and Link Road. During the protest, tribal leaders addressed the crowd, stating that the people of Bannu desire peace and have always supported peaceful coexistence.

They condemned the failure of the government and administration in recovering government schoolteacher Farman Ali Shah, who has been missing for the past 22 days. They recalled that on July 19, a large number of people had taken to the streets demanding peace and had peacefully returned after receiving assurances.

It was recalled that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had waved a paper on stage endorsing their 16-point demands in the Apex Committee meeting, but no progress had since been made. The protest, they said, reflected public distrust in the government.

They demanded the immediate recovery of Farman Ali Shah and the implementation of their 16-point charter of demands, warning that they had no other recourse as the entire community was facing extreme hardship.

During the wheel-jam strike called by the tribal elders, police distributed cold drinks and water at protest sites, earning praise from citizens.Although tribal elders had instructed trader unions to hold sit-ins in various locations within Bannu city, no such sit-ins occurred due to lack of public support.Jamaat-e-Islami leader Prof Muhammad Ibrahim Khan said the sit-in had ended but the struggle would continue.