PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Tuesday directed his special assistant for information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif and Provincial Minister for Zakat and Usher Anwar Zeb Khan to visit Bajaur district on Wednesday and meet the negotiating committee of the tribal jirga in order to end the protest sit-in there.

He said that the present problem would be resolved through talks very soon.

The chief minister expressed these views during a meeting with Anwar Zeb who briefed him about the ongoing peace sit-in in Bajaur where the participants had been demanding steps for improving law and order situation in the merged district.

The meeting held a discussion on the ongoing peace sit-in in Bajaur and the overall situation in other tribal districts.

Mahmood says govt to resolve issues of merged districts

Meanwhile, the protest sit-in of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl against lawlessness in the region continued for the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday.

A large number of political and social activists attended the gathering that had been held outside the district administration’s Civil Colony, Khar, since last Friday.

A delegation of Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) led by its head Manzoor Pashteen also participated in the sit-in on Tuesday.

Several PML-N activists led by its provincial vice-president Shahabuddin Khan were also in attendance.

JUI-F district president Maulana Abdur Rasheed, JI district chief Haji Sardar Khan, ANP district president Gul Afzal Khan and several others addressed the gathering.

They said that the sit-in was meant to restore peace in the district that had been disturbed over the last several months after surge in incidents of violence in the region.

In his speech, Manzoor Pashteen appreciated the workers and leaders of local political and religious parties for showing unity and launching a peaceful protest sit-in to demand steps for maintenance of peace in the district.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2022