Khassadars, Levies members warn of sit-in

BARA: The Khassadars and Levies personnel on Thursday warned the government of staging a sit-in outside the Peshawar High Court on Monday if their demands were not met forthwith.

Talking to reporters, All Tribal Districts Khassadars and Levies Forces Committee Chairman Said Jalal, along with Subedar Malik Mazhar Afridi, Nawab Khan, Malik Atif Khan Afridi and others said the Khassadar force members were being retired forcibly.

He said the Khassadars and Levies forces had rendered matchless sacrifices against the militants during prolonged militancy. Hundreds of Khassadars and Levies men embraced martyrdom for the motherland.

“While merging erstwhile Fata into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the government had decided that the Khassadars and Levies would be merged into Police,” Said Jalal said and added that the government facing a host of problems as the time passes.

He revealed that the KP former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Salahuddin Mahsud had promised that Khassadars and Levies would be merged into the Police.

“We had met Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai and advisor to Chief Minister, Ajmal Wazir. They had ensured us that the Khassadars and Levies will be merged and provided all facilities which are being provided to Police,” he claimed and alleged that the provincial government was sabotaging the Supreme Court order.

He said the government should act upon at 22 points agenda and provide all facilities according to the law.

The office-bearer alleged that the government was retiring the Khassadars forcibly forgetting their sacrifices in the prolonged militancy.

“We have been raising voices for our legal rights for several months but nobody is ready to hear us,” he lamented, adding “We have decided to sit-in outside the Peshawar High Court on Monday.”

He appealed to all members National Assembly, senators, lawyers and social workers from tribal districts to take part in the planned sit-in.