PESHAWAR: Thousands of political workers, civil society activists and people belonging to other walks of life gathered in front of the Peshawar Press Club on Saturday to express solidarity with policemen who were killed or injured in a recent suicide blast in the city while seeking national unity to deal with militant violence in the country.
Last week, a suicide explosion ripped through a crowded mosque at a highly guarded police facility in Peshawar, killing at least 100 people and injuring about 220 others.
Saturday’s demonstration was organized by students, workers, rights activists and members of Awami National Party (ANP) and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) despite an official ban on large gatherings that was earlier imposed in the city.
“The protest has been organized to show solidarity with policemen who lost their lives or got injured in the attack,” Javid Saqib, a member of the committee that arranged the demonstration, told Arab News. “It is a question of concern that Pashtuns have not been safe in their region. They have been in a constant state of war for more than 20 years.”
He said there was a “dire need” for everyone to stand against the specter of militant violence which was once again beginning to raise its head in the region.
People gather to participate in a protest against militant violence in front of the press club in Peshawar, Pakistan, on January 4, 2023. (AN photo)
The main road leading to Peshawar Press Club remained block for all kinds of traffic for nearly two hours due to the protest.
Addressing the gathering, ANP’s Sardar Hussain Babak, who remained a member of the provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said it was time the state revisited its policies which had led to a lot of conflict in the northwest.
“The Pashtuns are tired of funerals,” he added.
Babak called for a fair investigation into the suicide explosion at the Police Lines Mosque.
A top PTM leader, Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen, also paid tribute to the uniformed personnel who lost their lives or got injured in the suicide blast while speaking at the gathering.
“We have not forgotten our martyrs or injured,” he said. “We will fight for our rights and continue our struggle until peace is restored in the region.”
Pashteen said the government should form a truth and reconciliation commission to focus on the issue of militancy in northwestern Pakistan.
Policemen stand to provide security to the participants of a demonstration in Peshawar, Pakistan, on January 4, 2023. (AN photo)
The demonstration also brought together people from various districts of the province who carried white flags with them and raised slogans for peace.
“Terrorism is back again and we are not safe anywhere,” Hilal Subhan, a law student from Lower Dir, told Arab News. “We want terrorism to be fully eradicated. We want the state to ensure our safe future.”
Misbah ud Din Uthmani, another participant of the demonstration who came all the way from Bajaur tribal district, emphasized greater unity to deal with rising militant violence.
“This is an unending war that has been taking place on the Pashtun lands,” he said. “We don’t know why it is happening, but we cannot tolerate it anymore.”
Several high-profile political figures, including Mian Iftikhar Hussain of ANP, Afzal Khamosh of Mazdoor Kisan Party and Mohsin Dawar of National Democratic Movement also attended the protest.
