Kokikhel tribesmen protest for return

JAMRUD: Kokikhel tribesman displaced from Tirah Rajgul area of Khyber district have staged a protest camp near the Jamrud tehsil compounds, demanding their return to their native area.

Area elder Malik Naseer Ahmad stated that it is a symbolic protest, and tomorrow, they plan to set up a tent. Afterward, they intend to completely block the Pak-Afghan Highway at Bigyari and hold an indefinite sit-in.

He said that if the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is bad, it is even worse in Tirah. Last year, the government had announced that Tirah was completely cleared and all areas were safe, with barbed wire installed on the border. However, he questioned where the saboteurs come from despite the border fencing.

The elder criticised the ongoing smuggling of minerals and valuable timber from Tirah valley, facilitated by local people, and said that a few saboteurs are holding the nation and state hostage.He said the only demand of the Kokikhel Tirah families is to be allowed to return and live in their native areas.