Peshawar:
Tensions flared in the Khyber District’s Tirah Valley on Tuesday as protests continued over civilians, while the first round of negotiations between a government delegation consisted of provincial ministers and the protesters ended on Monday without a breakthrough.
Protesters pushed demands for accountability over civilian losses in Tirah. According to sources, they insisted that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Corps Commander visit the sit-in-place to apologize for the victims’ families.
They also sought guarantees that such events would not repeat themselves. The government delegation assured that the minister of chief would personally participate in sit-in in the coming days to offer condolences. However, the protesters promised to continue their demonstration until their demands were met.
The protests come from an explosion late Sunday night in Akakhel, Tirah, which killed at least 14 militants and 10 civilians. While police maintain that the explosion emerged within a TTP-driven factory, opposition legislators insist that it was caused by air strikes that destroyed civilian homes.
The problem again triggered heated debate in the KP assembly. Treasury benches Legislators Shafi Jan, Dr. Amjad and Fazl Hakeem strongly protested the killing of civilians in Tirah and called for an immediate session in the parliamentary committee.
The legislators criticized Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and Railway Minister Hanif Abbasi for calling Afghanistan a hostile state and claimed that such remarks ignored the deep tribal and cultural ties across the border.
They emphasized that peace in KP was closely linked to Afghanistan, adding that peace was deliberately undermined as part of a conspiracy. The legislators emphasized that the minister of chief and his team would pursue conversations with Afghan authorities.
