AJAUR: The Bajaur Peace Jirga head, Sahibzada Haroon Rashid, announced on Sunday that a sit-in for the restoration of lasting peace would be launched from June 6 outside the Civil Colony in Khar, the headquarters of Bajaur tribal district.
The announcement was made jointly with representatives of other political parties, tribal elders, community leaders and members of various segments of society from across Bajaur.
Speaking to reporters, Sahibzada Haroon Rashid said that all tribes of Bajaur, workers of political parties, students, journalists, traders and members of the society had unanimously decided to raise a strong voice for peace.
He said participants of the sit-in would set up camps outside the Civil Colony in Khar and remain there until complete peace is established in the region.
He said that the people of Bajaur had endured violence, bomb blasts and bloodshed for the past 24 years, with precious lives being lost on a daily basis, yet durable peace had still not been achieved.
“Peace is the need of all of us. Without peace, life has become extremely difficult, the people would no longer remain silent,” he remarked.
The chief of the Bajaur Peace Jirga further said that members of all tribes in Bajaur would participate actively in the protest. He added that key roads would remain blocked during the sit-in, while business centres across Bajaur would also be shut down to ensure that the peaceful protest effectively conveyed people’s concerns to the authorities.
He appealed to the people to take part in what he described as a historic peace sit-in and play their role in restoring peace to Bajaur.
He maintained that the protest would be successful and would continue until lasting peace was achieved.
