Spike in violence: Shutter-down strike staged in Bannu

BANNU: A complete shutter-down-strike and a sit-in were staged here on Friday on the call of Bannu Qaumi Jirga in protest against the killings of three traders.

All the business markets and trade centres remained shut in the entire Bannu as a mark of protest against the worsening law and order in the district.

Several students were injured in a stampede when the guards of the University of Sciences and Technology Bannu fired warning shots to disperse the protesting students.

The protesting students allegedly damaged a bus of the university, motorcycles and the main gate of the institution. A heavy contingent of the police arrived at the scene to bring the situation under control.

The protesters established a protest camp at Allahwala Chowk in front of the Cantonment Police Station on Bannu-Dera Ismail Khan road.

The people from various tribes have been protesting against the rising lawlessness in Bannu for the last six days. A large number of people are joining the protest asking the government to restore peace and end the lawlessness.

Malik Sherdad Ali Khan, Malik Shakeel Khan, Malik Khalid Khan, Pir Qaisar Abbas Shah, Haji Zafar Ali Khan and Malk Rahat Khan, Engineer Malik Ehsan Khan, Malik Iqbal Jadoon, Nisar Khan, Council of Islamic Ideology member Maulana Naseem Ali Khan, Junaid Khan, Rasheed Khan and other elders led processions from various parts of Bannu and assembled at the Allahwala Chowk.

Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami also participated in the sit-in.

The protesters blocked the road to traffic. The student leaders took out rallies in Bannu city.

Speaking on the occasion, the elders criticized the district administration and the police for failing to maintain the law and order in Bannu. They said that the protesters would not end the sit-in and the protest until the government assured them that steps would be taken to end the killings of innocent people.

Recalling the killings, they said three goldsmiths, four women and a medical rep were killed in Bannu in separate incidents. The protesters said that they were staging the sit-in to demand the government to restore peace and end the lawlessness.

They alleged that the government and the district administration had given offices and weapons to some armed groups, who were roaming in the Bannu city without any hurdle. The government, they said, should announce the Shaheed package for the slain persons. They said that the protesters would march towards Islamabad if their demands were not met.

The speakers said that they were paying taxes to the government but no security was provided to the people and their property.

They questioned whether the Pakhtuns would always render sacrifices, adding that restoration of peace was the prime responsibility of the state.

The speakers said that they were not ready to render more sacrifices in the so-called war on terror or to face displacement.

They vowed that no-one would be allowed to play with their lives as they can give a tit-for-tat response to the spoilers of peace.

The protest sit-in was staged after three goldsmiths were kidnapped and killed and their bodies were found in Mir Ali tehsil in North Waziristan a few days ago.