Pakistan

Parachinar residents holds protest rally Outside Pakistani Parliament against insecurity

parHundreds of protesters have staged a sit-in in front of Pakistan’s Parliament, demanding a military action against pro-Taliban militants in the country’s volatile tribal regions.

The protest rally was organized by the Youths of Parachinar the forum of Kurram Agency students living in Islamabad and Peshawar.

The demonstrators are seeking an end to years of bloodshed in their hometown Kurram Agency Parachinar, Shiite News Correspondent reported on Sunday.

Parachinar, Pakistan’s only Shia dominated tribal region, has been gripped by anti-Shia violence for years.

The people of the area say pro-Taliban Wahhabi militants, that have a strong presence in the area, are responsible for the unrest.

The Youth of Parachinar was started their protest from the 22nd of April in Islamabad by staged three days long token hunger strike outside the National Press Club Islamabad and also carried out the protest rally and staged sit-in protest outside the Parliament of the country on 25th April against the insecure route of Peshawar to Parachinar and the negligence of the government to protect the people of Kurram Agency from the Taliban-Wahabi terrorists.

Speakers at the demonstration held in front of National Assembly said Taliban were creating unrest in the region and committing crimes against the Turi and Bangash tribes.

MNA from Kurram Agency Sajid Turi, MQM deputy parliamentary leader in National Assembly Haider Abbas Rizvi, Jaffaria Alliance President Allama Abbas Kumaili, Majlis Wehdat Muslameen (MWM) leader Maulana Iqbal Behishti and Maulana Abid Behishti in their addresses said that more than 2,200 Turi and Banghash tribesmen have been martyred and over 5,000 injured by the Taliban in four years.

Later residents of Parachinar staged a token sitin near Parliament House.

In his speech, MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi, expressed sympathies with the residents of Parachinar.

“Our party will take up the issue with the president, prime minister and the interior minister,” he added.

Sajid Turi, MNA from the area announced to leave his seat in protest if the authorities failed to implement the peace accord between the Shia and Sunni tribes.

They also say that their hometown is faced with a humanitarian crisis due to the closure of the main road that links Parachinar to the rest of the country for the past four years.

“Is Parachinar not part of Pakistan?” the Shia group has asked.

Meanwhile, over two hundred Parachinar protesters have been camping outside the National Press Club in Islamabad for the past three days, refusing to eat.

They have vowed to continue their hunger strike until the government does something about their plight.

The protesters have been joined by politicians, including a lawmaker from the area that has boycotted the Parliamentary proceedings until peace is returned to Parachinar.

Others have also endorsed the effort. Last month, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced financial compensation for the people affected by the road closure.

However, protesters from the area have rejected the move, saying the only way to address the problem is to treat the troubled region at par with other parts of the country and establish the writ of law enforcement agencies there.

Reports say that over 4,000 people, most of them from the Shia community, have been killed since the violence engulfed Parachinar back in 2005.

According to official figures, over 32,000 families have also been displaced from Parachinar due to years of violence.

Meanwhile, After waiting for five years to visit his hometown, Ali Mohammad returned to the country from UAE last month, but all that was received by the family was his burned corpse, released three days back by suspected Taliban commanders after negotiations.

He along with 33 other passengers was kidnapped while going to Parachinar from Peshawar. Of them 13 were burnt and maimed and thrown on the roads. The fate of the rest is still unknown.

Like rest of the family members the excitement of Saqib Hasan faded away when he received the body of his cousin Ali Mohammad. But all he can do is to bury him in accordance with the religious rituals.

In sheer frustration and anger against the authorities, Saqib arrived in the federal capital on Monday to participate in the protest demonstration and sit-in at the Parliament against Taliban brutalities.

The participants narrated tales of sufferings faced by their family members at the hands of Taliban who have blocked the road leading to Parachinar, creating severe shortage of fuel, food and medicines in the area.

“My brother’s leg had to be amputated only because he could not receive medical care in time,” said one protester, adding, “Six of my cousins have been killed by Taliban in last four years.” The road between Peshawar and Parachinar is almost 250km but a patch of 25-30km around Thal is the troubled spot.

Forces to escort vehicles on Parachinar Road, says Malik

Interior Minister Rahman Malik on Monday announced in the National Assembly that security forces would be deployed within 48 hours on Parachinar Road to secure it. Rahman Malik announced it after an MNA from FATA, Sajid Turi, on a point of order sought the attention of the Chair towards the precarious security situation on Parachinar Road. He later walked out from the House and refused to listen to the interior minister despite his insistence that he should be given a chance to let him explain the government’s position on the issue. Malik said that people belonging to Sunni and Shia sects in the area have failed to protect the artery, adding that the security forces would escort the vehicles on the road in the form of convoys after every one hour. The minister said that the road was opened on assurance given by both Shias and Sunnis that they would protect the route, however, the terrorists still pose a threat to the security of the road. On a question about misuse of blasphemy law, the minister said that law enforcement agencies and the judiciary prevent misuse of this law, however, he admitted that there were certain cases where some people were implicated in false cases. On a compliant from a member that rangers personnel in Karachi mistreated him, the minister said that he would probe the matter, but said that no one was immune to security procedures because impersonation was rampant in Karachi. He informed the House that strict action was being taken to check human smuggling, adding that local police, Coast Guard, FIA and FC are jointly working to curb this illegal practice

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