Screengrab of the protesters in Mingora, Swat
The family of a school van driver who was slain by extremists in Swat on Monday called off their sit-in on Tuesday evening after successful negotiations with the district administration.
According to senior officials of the district administration, the government would compensate the slain driver’s family for their loss and would also provide a job to one of his family members. They said the family, as well as elders of a local Jirga, would be updated on any development into the arrest and prosecution of the killers, who remain unidentified.
After the successful negotiations, the driver’s family offered funeral prayers for him and buried his body.
Thousands of people from across Swat protested against the recent surge of unrest in the region on the streets of Mingora on Tuesday afternoon. Demanding an end to terrorism, the protesters chanted slogans of “terrorism is unacceptable” and “we only want peace.” Pictures and footage from the area showed the demonstrators carrying placards calling for an end to terrorism, as well as white flags to represent the peace they desire.
“Insecurity will not be tolerated in Swat,” the protesters stressed in speeches. “It is the responsibility of the government and state institutions to protect the citizens,” they added.
This is not the first time residents of Swat have taken to the streets to protest the return of extremism. In the past two months, Jirga-led protests have been taken out at least five times, with calls to curb the return of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ensure the region does not devolve into the restive situation it had been embroiled in for much of the early 2000s. The TTP has denied any role in the killing of the van driver, but the protesters on Tuesday did not shy from naming the group and stressing that there was no longer any place for them.
Among the prominent local leaders who participated in the protest were Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement chief Manzoor Pashteen; Swat Olasi Pasoon President Fawad Khan; politician Afrasiab Khattak; Awami National Party Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa President Aimal Wali Khan; Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan; ANP parliamentary leader in the KP Assembly Sardar Hussain Babak; and Mingora city Mayor Shahid Khan.
Not our fault
Despite having ruled the province for nearly 10 consecutive years, the KP government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has sought to distance itself from the resurgence of unrest in its tenure. Addressing a press conference, spokesperson Muhammad Ali Saif claimed militant groups opposed to peace talks with the TTP were responsible for the current unrest. A prominent sympathizer of the group, Saif has repeatedly claimed that peace talks are the only solution and that TTP members are “locals” who cannot be kept away from their homes.
Emphasizing that the banned TTP is not responsible for every incident of terrorism, he claimed that even if the group had claimed an attack, it didn’t mean it was responsible due to factions within it. However, while he claimed that all talks with protesters in Swat should be handled by “local administration,” he said talks with the TTP should be conducted by federal authorities, seemingly sidelining the very people who are most impacted by any negotiations with the militants.