Protest continues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over targeted killings by Pak Army

Workers of several political parties and local residents continued a sit-in around the Eidek area near the Mirali town since July 29, according to a Canada-based think tank, International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS).

According to the think tank, people have been demanding from the government to take action against the target killers and maintain law and ordersituation in the district for peaceful living.

A member of parliament, Mohsin Dawar confirmed that residents in the region suspect the role of "state security agencies" in the targeted killings.

"On the other hand, militant groups are trying to create the atmosphere of chaos and fear so that they can stop people from engaging in political activities," he said, according to the IFFRAS.

"The targeted killings are an attempt to silence dissenting voices," he added.

The two-week protest sit-in being staged by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl against the killing of religious scholars and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) activists Qari Samiuddin and Qari Nauman was turned into a grand jirga, which passed several resolutions.

As reported on July 15, Qari Samiuddin and Qari Nauman were shot after armed motorcyclists approached their vehicle in the Mir Ali region of North Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan. Samiuddin was an administrator at a religious seminary in the area and a local leader of the JUI-F.

He was regarded as a strong voice against lawlessness and targeted killings in the area. Nauman was a local councilor who also belonged to JUI-F., IFFRAS reported.

Pakistan has long been accused of supporting terrorist groups inside and outside Pakistan.

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 Utmanzai tribes also been protesting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's North Waziristan against the killing of its local leaders and lawlessness in the district.

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. (ANI)