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A large group of people in Pakistan's Swat district, city Mingora, held a rally to protest against terrorism and expressed their opposition to military operations.
Further, they claimed that the terrorist activities in the region were "state-sponsored and artificial," and cautioned that if the government failed to address terrorism, the people of Swat would take "matters into their own hands to protect their homeland," Dawn reported. The rally on Friday was organised by the Swat Quami Jirga at Nishat Chowk and attended by delegates from political parties, transport associations, trader federations, private school associations, and local communities. Women from the legal profession and students also participated in this protest, which was held under the slogan "End Artificial Terrorism, Reject Military Operations, and Call for Lasting Peace in Swat." The protesters waved white flags and chanted slogans against terrorism, claiming that the state was behind the terrorist activities. The protestor stated, "We are fed up with these fabricated terrorism projects. We demand peace and development initiatives on Pashtun soil. Those who devise these plans must know that the Pakhtun nation can no longer be fooled by such tactics." The protesters also criticised the deputy commissioner of Swat for issuing a terror alert the previous day and claimed that the district administration, police, and security agencies were "complicit" in terrorist activities, as they had failed to identify any genuine threats to peace. Other speakers noted that similar "misguided" actions led to the fall of Dhaka in 1971. They called on the "state-sponsored Taliban forces" to stop their anti-Pakhtun actions to avert the disintegration of the country. The speakers further lamented the intelligence and security forces for their inability to ensure the safety of foreign diplomats during their visit to the Malam Jabba region on September 21, which ultimately led to a terrorist attack against them. They claimed that the negligence of security forces had severely harmed tourism and development efforts in the Swat region. Another speaker remarked, "Swat residents are known for their hospitality. Those foreign dignitaries were our guests, but unfortunately, some elements opposed to Swat's progress orchestrated the bomb blast on their convoy." The protestor also stated that students and local teachers would begin raising awareness among the public about the issue of "state-sponsored" terrorism in the region. The rally concluded with a unanimous resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of security forces from the Pakistan-Austrian Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management. (ANI)
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