PESHAWAR, Feb 2: Journalists, political activists and representatives of civil and human rights organisations held a demonstration outside the Governor’s House here on Friday in protest against the government’s failure to trace a missing journalist.

“Pakistan ka matlab kya, bomb dhamakay aur aghwa”, chanted the protesters angered over the deteriorating law and order situation and the government’s failure to recover Suhail Kalander, resident editor of Daily Express and his friend Niaz Ahmad, kidnapped about a month ago. They raised slogans against the government and demanded safe recovery of the journalist and his friend. The demonstration was held under the banner of the Alliance for Protection of Human Rights (APHR).

Speaking on the occasion, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leader Dr Said Alam said clerics should issue a Fatwa against suicide bombing to stop youngsters from committing suicide and killing their own people. He said suicide bombing was an un-Islamic practice.

He criticised the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal provincial government for failing to tackle the “suicide bombing issue”.

Dr Alam said the people should join hands against the military government, which had failed to maintain peace in the country and protect the people. “This government protects bandits, not innocent people,” he alleged.

He called upon the people to shun biases and unite against the government.

Ijaz Durrani, on behalf of the APHR, condemned the government for its apathy towards disappearance of civilians and media persons. He said the government was so weak and inefficient that it could not recover a journalist and his friend even after one month.

Tariq Khan said the ‘Durranis’ (NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani and Federal Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani) of the federal and provincial governments had failed to ensure recovery of Suhail Kalander.

He said nobody felt safe in the country because the law and order situation was deteriorating due to policies of the military government.

Haji Adeel of the Awami National Party, Iqbal Khalil of the Jamaat-i-Islami and Maulana Mairaj-ud-Din of the Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadith also flayed the government for failing to protect its citizens.