September 12, 2022
By Kashif Kukihel
KHYBER
Concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is on the rise, with citizens haunted by the violence and destruction wrought by terrorists in the past fearing its return.
This worry was made apparent at the Khyber Aman March in Bara, in which thousands of residents of Khyber district’s Bara, Jamrud and Landi Kotal tehsils participated. During the rally, demonstrators chanted the slogan “Aman ghwaro”, which means “We want peace”.
Farhaad Ali Afridi, a high court lawyer, says that the province stands at the cusp of a second wave of terrorism. There are growing reports of armed groups organizing, target killings and direct threats to political workers and leaders in the area.
Farhad Ali Afridi
Advocate, Peshawar High Court
District Police Officer (DPO) Khyber District, Imran Khan, states that while they have received some reports concerning unrest in the region, there is very little reason to worry as the police, Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps (FC) are on top of things.
Imran Khan
DPO Khyber District
The political alliance in the district has declared a sit-in outside the premises of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and the Corps Commander House if the state fails to ensure law and order, and the provide protection of people’s lives and property.
Farhad Ali Afridi
Advocate, Peshawar High Court
Tribal leader Malik Waris Khan Afridi believes that the only solution to unrest in the region is for the state to constitute an independent jirga of tribal leaders to negotiate with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the state.
Malik Waris Khan Afridi
Tribal leader
Residents of erstwhile-FATA, who perhaps were most affected by the war on terror, see the resurgence of militants in the region a threat to the survival of newer generations. Tribals hope that the state learns from its past mistakes and avoid subjecting tribal people to any further experiments.