Tribal elders and traders of Bajaur tribal district have vowed to stage protest if the Pakhtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) held a rally in the area. The trading community president, Haji Khan Bahadur, president for Inayat Killi Haji Muhammad Zaman, Phatak Bazaar president Haji Akbar Jan, Haji Muhammad Shoaib, Khan Gul, Haji Ameer Rehman, Asghar Khan, Haji Naeemullah, Haji Sahibzada Ismail and others said on Saturday that peace has returned to Bajaur after a long time due to the sacrifices of the local tribesmen and security forces.
They said the traders of Bajaur suffered massive losses in the militancy and military operations, but no one raised voice for them. They said now the PTM leaders are planning to hold rallies in Bajaur which is not good for law and order.
Haji Khan Bahadur demanded the administration to ban on entry of PTM leaders in Bajaur. He said the traders will not tolerate the presence of PTM leaders in Bajaur. He said the district administration will be responsible for any law and order issues in Bajaur if it did not act in time. The trade union president said a strong protest will be staged if the PTM went ahead with its plan to arrange rally in Bajaur.
Earlier, the elders of Tarkhani and Utmankhel tribes also opposed the entry of the PTM leaders in Bajaur. The elders of these two tribes, Malik Shaheen, Malik Fida Utmankhel and others said while addressing a press conference in Bajaur Press Club that peace has been restored in Bajaur after countless sacrifices by the security forces and local residents.
They said the PTM was planning to hold rallies in Bajaur which may endanger peace in the region and create law and order issue through their controversial sloganeering and activities.
The tribal elders said similar organizations were seen in the region in the past which initially did some good work to attract the common people and later on exposed their agenda. They said the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) also entered the region in same fashion and destroyed peace. They vowed that they would never allow the entry of the PTM leadership in Bajaur tribal district.