KHYBER: The Kukikhel protesters on Saturday announced to boycott the polio vaccination campaign and block the main Torkham highway from Monday to press the government for acceptance of their longstanding demand of ensuring the early return of the remaining internally displaced persons to their homes.

Announcing their new plan at the Bhagiyaree checkpost where they have been stationed since Aug 21 (Wednesday), they said a jirga of tribal elders and politicians from seven merged districts would also be convened if there was no headway in their parlays with the government officials.

Barkat Afridi, a spokesman for the protesting Kukikhels, said they had been showing leniency towards private cars but the road would be completely closed from Monday morning, with only patients being allowed to proceed.

Attendance at the protest camp, however, remained thin on Saturday with organisers urging residents of Jamrud to attend the protest in large numbers.

Meanwhile, heavy vehicles loaded mostly with fruits and vegetables imported from Afghanistan have started shifting their merchandise to smaller vehicles to take it to Peshawar via the Shalman-Malagori Road.

Drivers and traders had earlier complained about rotting of a large quantity of fruits and vegetables due to the road blockade and hot weather.

Residents in Landi Kotal continued to suffer shortage of necessary daily-use items, especially vegetables, flour, milk, medicines and poultry due to the road closure. Shortage of these items has also pushed their prices in the local bazaars.

Meanwhile, some Afghan drivers, who requested anonymity, alleged that a group of Kukikhel protesters had allowed them to cross their protest camp in Bhagiyaree on the first night of their agitation after taking huge amount of money from them.

They said around 20 vehicles loaded with cucumber and onion got stranded near the Bhagiyaree checkpost soon after the protest camp was established by the Kukikhels on Aug 21.

The Afghan drivers said they were approached by a group of young protesters with a demand for Rs30,000 per vehicle to be allowed to continue their onward journey to Peshawar. “We paid them the money and got our vehicles released from the spot where we got stuck,” a driver said.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2024