Protesters demand judicial probe into Hayatabad incident

BARA: The activists of Khyber Union Pakistan and Khyber Students Union on Sunday staged protest to demand judicial probe into the Hayatabad incident in which what they said innocent people were killed.

Led by Khyber Union president Bazaar Gul Afridi, general sectary Murad Saqi and others, the protesters chanted slogans against the Peshawar police for conducting ‘fake’ operation.

Speaking on the occasion, Bazaar Gul Afridi said that the tribal people were not terrorists but they had rendered sacrifices for peace in the country. He said that the tribal people always supported the security forces against the militants.

“We condemn the killing of the innocent tribesmen by labelling them as militants in the Hayatabad operation,” he said, adding that those killed belonged to respectable families.

He said the slain were not Afghans but they were patriotic Pakistanis and tribals. Muraq Saqi alleged that the police misguided the nation by branding innocent people as militants. “Pakhtuns have rendered matchless sacrifices in the war against terrorism and an incident like this will deepen their sense of deprivation,” he said.

The speakers demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident to establish facts and bring to justice those responsible for the deaths.