MINGORA: The elders of Kalam and adjacent areas on Thursday demanded of the government and law enforcement agencies to refrain from harassing innocent people.

A jirga of the Kalam elders was held soon after the burial of Malak Shehzada, a local resident, who on Wednesday committed suicide by jumping into the Swat River. The family members blamed the law enforcement agencies for troubling him by questioning him again and again after two blasts occurred in Bahan area of Kalam last week.

Later, the residents of Kalam took to streets and closed the local bazaar. They also put the body of the deceased at Tehsil Chowk and chanted slogans against the law enforcement agencies.

Jirga asks security forces to release innocent people

On Thursday a complete shutter down strike was observed by the resident of Kalam. The jirga was attended by a large number of local residents, elders and elected representatives, who criticised law enforcement agencies for troubling innocent people.

“After the two blasts in Bahan area of Kalam on July 22, the law enforcement agencies arrested Malak Shahzada and kept him in custody for four days. When they released him on the fifth day once again he was interrogated by the agencies. Fed up with the ill-treatment of the law enforcement agencies, he jumped into the Swat River and drowned,” said Rahat Khan, president of Kalam Bazaar Traders Federation.

He said that the residents of Kalam launched protest and observed shutter down strike against the ruthless behavious of law enforcement agencies.

“We even did not let Taliban to come to Kalam during the time of insurgency. We will never tolerate anti-state elements in our area but the behaviour of law enforcement agencies is objectionable and it will not be tolerated,” said Abdullah Khan, a local resident.

“The jirga demanded of the security forces to release the innocent people. The elders of the area must be informed before arrest of any local person. No woman should be searched,” Bahrain tehsil nazim Habibullah Saqib told journalists about the demands of the jirga.

Later, the jirga members including Malak Iqbal, Malak Faridullah, Fazal Wahab, MPA Syed Jafar Shah and tehsil nazim Habibullah Saqib met the army officials and presented their demands to them.

Colonel Imad said that their demands were accepted. He said that law enforcement agencies would not make unnecessary raids and no arrest would be made without the consent of the local elders.

The proposed Kalam summer festival, which was scheduled for August 12, was also cancelled.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2016