Thousands of residents in KPK’s Swat Valley took to the streets on Tuesday to protect against the growing insecurity and violence in the city following the killing of a school van driver by unknown assailants a day earlier.
The sea of people took to the city’s Nishat Chowk, chanting slogans against the rising number of killings in the area and demanding the government do more to ensure the safety of the residents there. The protestors demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits involved in the shooting and warned that if their demands are not met within 24 hours, they would march to Islamabad.
The thousands-strong demonstration was carried out in the wake of the recent incident of violence in the city where a school van driver was shot dead by an unknown assailant. Two students were also injured in the attack and taken to the hospital for treatment.
The protest – the sixth in the past two months – was reportedly attended by over 15,000 people. Local sources claim that Tuesday’s demonstration was the largest ever in the history of Swat Valley.
The speakers demanded that the government control the terrorist outfits – the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan – who are back and spreading terror in the city. They said that the residents of Swat must be given protection, which is their constitutional right.
The police told the media that they had ruled out terrorism because it was a targeted attack on one individual, but they are continuing to investigate. They said that no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mohsin Dawar, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly and a prominent rights activist, condemned the latest attack and said that it should be a “wake-up call” for the state. He said that he has voiced concerns about the increased presence of militants in the area since joining the parliament, but nothing has been done.
Dawar said that the government does not understand the gravity of the situation because they do not directly feel the heat. He said that if the political and military leadership of Pakistan does not sit to resolve this menace, the situation would be out of control in the coming days.
Tuesday’s 40-hour-long protest came to an end after the protestors negotiated with the city administration. Deputy Commissioner Swat Junaid Khan reached the protest site with other officials and held talks with the demonstrators.
The demonstration was called off after the deputy commissioner assured the protestors that the city administration would take custody of the deceased’s children.
The protestors offered the final prayers of the deceased and laid him to rest.