Khalil Qaumi Jirga protests ‘poor response’ to dengue spread

PESHAWAR: The Khalil Qaumi Jirga staged a protest on Monday against what it believed was the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s poor response to the spread of the dengue virus which has claimed 33 lives and left thousands infected so far.

The protesters blocked the vehicular traffic on the busy University Road and chanted slogans against the KP government after accusing it of showing inadequate response towards curbing the mosquito-borne disease.

The activists of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and people from other walks of life also joined the protest.

Arbab Alamgir Khan of PPP, Arbab Khizer Hayat of PML-N, Maulana Amanullah Haqqani of JUI-F, Kashif Azam of JI, Atifur Rehman of ANP, Arbab Muhammad Tahir Khan, Pir Fida of PTI and others were present on the occasion.

The protesters demanded the provincial government to adopt tangible measures to contain the spread of the deadly virus and provide the best possible treatment facilities to the patients.They asked the Supreme Court to take suo moto notice of dengue spread and human loss caused by it in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The participants of the demonstration said if their demands were not met, they would resort to extreme measures and besiege Chief Minister’s House after the 10th Muharram. Arbab Khizer Hayat said the KP government did not respond well in time to the dengue crisis. He said the delayed and poor response by the KP government helped spread the virus which claimed several lives mostly in Tehkal, Gharibabad, Sufaid Dheri and the surrounding areas.

He said hundreds of dengue patients were still admitted at hospitals, adding the steps taken by the KP government did not seem to be fruitful. He demanded payment of Rs1 million to heirs of each victim of dengue as compensation.

Arbab Alamgir Khan demanded declaring the affected area as calamity-hit. He warned of blocking all roads for traffic in Peshawar if the KP government did not take action for containing dengue.