Pakistan: Utmanzai tribe in Waziristan protest against target killings

The protesting tribesmen had staged a sit-in camp on Friday outside the press club building in Miranshah to protest against the rising incidents of target killings in North Waziristan, reported The News International.

The protest movement has been started under the direction of the Uthmanzai tribe's elders, the main tribe from which the Dawar and Ahmadzai Wazir tribes of North Waziristan descend, Dawn reported.

The protesters had also blocked the Bannu-Miranshah Road and Miranshah-Ghulam Khan road to press the government for acceptance of their demands.

The protesters said the roads would remain blocked until the government took steps to check target killings, reported The News International.

They asked the government to restore law and order to North Waziristan and bring an end to the incidents of target killings.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the tribal council (Jigra) of Uthmanzai elders had met where it was decided that a protest movement would be launched and continued till acceptance of their demands.

The jirga had also decided to start a complete boycott of the official functions, and that the local people would neither visit offices nor meet the officials.

A 30-member jirga comprising elders of all branches of the Uthmanzai tribe was constituted to discuss the situation with the local officials, reported Dawn.

Notably, there have been several cases of such killings in North Waziristan over the past months.

Earlier, the workers of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and other political parties also been protesting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's North Waziristan against the killing of its local leaders and lawlessness in the district.

They continued a sit-in protest against lawlessness in Eidek village and demanded early arrest of the killers of JUI-F leaders Qari Samiuddin, Hafiz Nauman and others, Dawn newspaper reported.

This comes after a few unidentified gunmen on Monday killed a councillor-elect Malik Murtaza, who was also from Eidak village. He was elected councillor during the second phase of the local body elections. (ANI)