Use of force in Bannu condemned: PTI fears protest may engulf entire country

ISLAMABAD: Condemning the use of force allegedly by some state institutions’ personnel on the protestors of peace march in Bannu that resulted in the loss of lives, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has reiterated not to allow “new military operation under the guise of terrorism and firing on peaceful citizens” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“All political parties of KP are on one page to rein in the monster of terrorism, but no permission would be given to launch new military operation under the guise of terrorism and firing on peaceful citizens,” read a statement from PTI on Friday, issued after an emergency meeting of its Core Committee on the situation in Bannu.

The participants of the meeting “expressed alarm that keeping in view the sensitivity of the situation, there was also a fear that the protest could spread across the country and the situation might go out of the control.”

The Core Committee strongly condemned the use of violence and firing on peaceful marchers in Bannu, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and injuries to many, and urged the KP government to conduct an immediate, thorough and transparent probe into the unfortunate incident to bring those responsible to justice, the statement added.

The violent incidents in Bannu during the peaceful protest organised by all political parties and civil society organisations were a cause of great concern for the people of the country, especially KP, the statement added.

The forum underlined that the gravity of the situation could be judged from the fact that reportedly, at least five people were martyred and several others sustained serious injuries, as a result of direct firing by the state institutions personnel on the participants in the peace march, according to the statement

The Core Committee expressed deep sympathy to the affected families and assured that PTI would not support any policy contradictory to the rights of the people.

The meeting was of the view that in order to avoid any kind of chaos and anarchy, it was essential to address the situation promptly and ensure that those responsible were brought to justice.

The meeting urged the provincial government to take swift action to bring normalcy, compensate the victims’ families, and ensure provision of best health facilities to the injured persons.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024