BARA: The main Bara Bazaar turned into a tense zone on Thursday after clashes broke out between workers of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Awami National Party (ANP) in Khyber district during a protest.
Tension erupted when the ANP, as per its earlier plan, staged a protest demonstration at Khyber Chowk in Bara tehsil, after alleging irregularities in relief funds meant for internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Tirah Valley.
ANP leaders, including Khyber chapter President Abdur Raziq Afridi, Vice-President Shireen Afridi, Abdul Wahid Afridi and others, addressed the protesters.
They urged the government to provide all facilities to the Tirah IDPs who, they alleged, were forcibly displaced from the Maidan area of Tirah Valley.
The protesters raised slogans against the provincial government as well as federal and provincial legislators elected from the district.
The situation turned rowdy when PTI workers allegedly entered the ANP protest and began chanting slogans against the nationalist party.
Workers from both parties first exchanged harsh words, and the verbal altercation soon escalated into physical scuffles. The situation became alarming when aerial firing was resorted to during the sloganeering, causing panic among those present. Fortunately, no one suffered serious injuries, though some workers sustained minor wounds.
A heavy contingent of police rushed to the scene and brought the situation under control. The protesters were dispersed and order was restored.
Later, ANP Khyber district office-bearers demanded an immediate apology from Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi and the PTI local leadership over what they termed the “undemocratic” handling of a peaceful protest at Khyber Chowk.
Speaking at a press conference, ANP Khyber chapter President Abdul Razzaq Afridi and other office-bearers and workers condemned the alleged use of force against peaceful demonstrators.
They said preventing the protest and resorting to violence against ANP workers was a violation of constitutional rights.
“Peaceful protest is the constitutional and legal right of every citizen. Attempts to suppress it through force are against democratic norms,” Abdul Razzaq Afridi said.
He alleged that the conduct of PTI workers reflected political intolerance and amounted to adding insult to injury for the already suffering people of Tirah.
The ANP leaders said a first information report should be registered against those involved in the incident.
They urged the Khyber police chief to take notice of the matter and initiate legal action against the responsible individuals to prevent such incidents in the future.
The ANP leaders reiterated that their party had always stood by the oppressed and would continue to support the legitimate demands of the Tirah IDPs at every forum.
They warned that if an apology was not forthcoming, the party would stage protests at PTI public gatherings and inauguration ceremonies.
The ANP leaders announced that a protest demonstration would be held at Pishtakhara Chowk after two days under the aegis of the ANP to press for the rights of the displaced persons from Tirah, where the party would also unveil its future course of action.
