Bannu clash: Police tear gas Janikhel protesters demanding security
One person killed, 12 injured
One person was killed and 12 others, including policemen, were injured after police clashed with protesters from Janikhel while they were marching towards Islamabad on Wednesday.
The deceased has been identified as Wajid.
Protesters announced that they will march towards the federal capital after their talks with the district administration ended unsuccessfully on Tuesday.
They have been protesting the death of Malik Naseeb Khan, a resident of Janikhel. The protesters are carrying his body with them.
They were stopped by the police near the Tochi Pull. The authorities had blocked the road with containers.
The people of Janikhel continued marching forward after which the police fired tear gas shells at them. Some protesters hurled stones at the law-enforcing authorities.
Following the clash, the elders of Janikhel decided to hold negotiations with the district management again.
Janikhel is a town and union council in the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
March protest
A similar protest was staged in Janikhel in March after bullet-riddled bodies of four teens were found in Bannu. They were identified as Atifullah, Ahmed Khan, Rafamullah, Muhammad Rahim Khan. They were aged between 14 to 18 years. Their tribesmen and relatives protested for a week and called it off on March 29 after reaching an agreement with the government.
The agreement was signed after successful negotiations between the government’s team led by KP Chief Minister Mehmood Khan and the protesters at the Bannu Commissioner Office.
Naseeb Khan*, who was killed in May, played an important role in holding negotiations between the protesters and the government.
The government has, however, yet to implement the agreement.
Agreement details
1. The government will ensure complete peace in the area and will clear it of armed groups. It will not take away any type of licensed weapons from the ‘peaceful’ people in the area, and no house will be demolished in the process.
2. The government will immediately start the scrutiny and review of the Jani Khel tribesmen who are in the government’s custody. This will be done within three months on a priority basis. Those found innocent will be released immediately. If someone is found guilty, then they shall be punished according to Pakistan’s laws.
3. The families of the four teenagers will be given a compensation of Rs2.5 million under the Shuhda Package.
4. The government will announce a special development package for the Jani Khel—which couldn’t be developed because of the unrest in the area.
5. Jani Khel tribe wants to meet high-ranking government officials for the resolution of their problems. This will be arranged as soon as possible.
6. Jani Khel tribesmen and other protesters who were arrested on March 28 will be released immediately.
7. A free and fair inquiry into the incident of four teenage boys killing will be conducted and those found guilty will be punished. In the future, strict actions will be taken against such incidents.
8. In light of this agreement, the Jani Khel tribe announces the end of protest and sit-in.
