LAKKI MARWAT: Hundreds of villagers on Saturday closed the Tajazai-Darra Tang Road in Lakki city to protest against the police for disrupting a sports event in Mela Shahabkhel village.

Residents of Mela Shahabkhel, Langerkhel and other villages marched to Qazi Ishfaq Chowk and staged a sit-in there.

Village council chairman Naimatullah Khan, former nazim Umar Jan and Asif Iqbal Advocate led the procession.

Despite rain, the protesters continued agitation and kept the road closed for five hours, causing long queues of vehicles.

The protesters alleged the police disrupted a kabaddi match on Friday by resorting to firing in the air to disperse game lovers and arrested the event organisers.

They condemned the brazen action and said there was no justification to raid the playground and disrupt the game.

“Mela Shahabkhel village has a good reputation with regard to organising sports events, especially kabaddi matches, but unjustified action by the police badly tarnished it,” Asif Iqbal Advocate deplored.

The protesters asked the police high-ups to remove the Lakki Marwat police station SHO and register a case against cops for firing during the kabaddi match. They also demanded release of the arrested people.

Former district nazim Ishfaq Ahmad Khan, MPA Munawar Khan’s brother Eng Amir Nawaz Khan and ANP district vice-president Hamayun Marwat also turned up to express solidarity with the protesters. The protesters dispersed after talks with the police.

District police officer Ziauddin Ahmad told Dawn that the police were not against the promotion of games, but after receiving credible information that proclaimed offenders and armed men would come to the venue, cops were sent to the locality to convince organisers to wind up the activity for safety of villagers. He said the police had also received a threat alert of a subversive act by miscreants.

“The organisers offered resistance and some people also hooted at the police and pelted stones on cops, leaving them with no option but to resort to firing in the air,” he maintained. He said the local administration had also not permitted the event.

Mr Zia said sports event was in violation of restrictions imposed by the administration as part of measures to maintain peace during Muharram.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2022