BANNU: Negotiations between the ‘Police Peace Committee’ and the district administration have successfully concluded here on Wednesday, bringing an end to days of tension and protests.
Following the agreement, the committee called off its protest demonstration and all major highways and roads across the district were reopened to traffic.
For the past three days, tensions had persisted between ‘Police Peace Committee’ and the district police leadership. On Wednesday, the committee continued its protest for a third consecutive day by blocking all major entry and exit routes in Bannu, disrupting daily life and causing significant inconvenience to residents and commuters.
During the protest, normal police operations across the district were affected. According to sources, the offices of the DIG Bannu region and the DPO were temporarily closed, while official vehicles assigned to certain police officers were reportedly taken into custody by the protesters.
‘Police Peace Committee’ president Hazrat Umar had maintained that, at a time when a counterterrorism operation was underway in Bannu, the transfer of local police personnel to Mardan and posting of officers from other districts to Bannu was unacceptable.
He demanded that police personnel originally belonging to Bannu but serving in other districts should instead be posted back to their home district, and also called for the transfer of certain police officers.
The negotiations were held at the deputy commissioner’s office. Tribal elders and community representatives, including Malik Dilnawaz Khan, chief warden Civil Defence Masoom Wazir, former mayor Irfan Durrani, Nasir Bangash, and others, presented the protesters’ demands before Regional Police Officer Rab Nawaz Khan, Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Faheem Khan, and DPO Captain (Retd) Muhammad Furqan Bilal.
Under the agreement reached during the talks, certain police transfer orders were revoked. It was also decided to ask the SHOs of Saddar, Mandan, and Cantt police stations to report to the police lines. In addition, it was agreed that recommendations regarding the DSP Cantt would be forwarded to the inspector general of police for further consideration.
Following the announcement of these decisions, the ‘Police Peace Committee’ ended its protest and reopened all roads across the district.
Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2026
