Public meeting in Mir Ali: Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement demands removal of checkpoints in NWA

MIRANSHAH: The Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement on Friday demanded the removal of security checkposts and release of all the political prisoners in North Waziristan.

Speaking at a big public meeting in Mir Ali town in North Waizristan, the movement’s leader Manzoor Pashteen said that it was the right time to break the silence over the injustices being meted out to the tribal people.

He said the tribespeople have finally started getting the courage to raise voice for their rights as injustices were committed against them. “We need to remove the sense of fear prevailing in the tribal areas and encourage the people to break their long silence and stand up for their rights,” he declared.

Manzoor Pashteen, who belongs to South Waziristan and was one of the leaders of the recent Pashtun ‘dharna’ in Islamabad, said the tribespeople suffered a lot due to their silence over the injustices with them and faced displacement from their homes. He said that such gatherings would help create political awareness among the tribal people.

The speakers demanded complete abolition of Frontier Crimes Regulation, removal of the roadside security checkposts, release of all the political prisoners and also those arrested under the collective responsibility clauses and other similar charges. The speakers also demanded the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

This was the first time that such a big gathering of tribesmen took place in North Waziristan following the return of most of the displaced persons to their homes and villages.