PkMAP and PTM protest in Ziarat over alleged drone attack

ZIARAT: The Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) held a protest in Ziarat against an alleged drone attack. Mohammad Mehrban was killed in the attack, while Manzoor Ahmed and Feroz Khan were seriously injured.

The protest was held in Ziarat Bazaar. The protesters marched through the bazaar before it turned into a rally. They chanted slogans against terrorism and unrest, and said, “We want peace on our land.”

The protesters demanded severe punishment for those responsible for the drone attack. They also demanded compensation and medical treatment for the victims and the injured.

Speeches by leaders

PkMAP central general secretary Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal and Jamil Khan addressed the rally. They said the attack on livestock owners and shepherds was a conspiracy to empty an area rich in natural resources of Pashtuns. They said it could not be accepted under any circumstances.

They said the Mines and Minerals Act, which went against the interests of the people of the province, was in fact a conspiracy to seize land. They said the auction of seats in the 8 February 2024 election and the imposition of a ruling group were aimed at seizing the natural mineral wealth of the Pashtun homeland.

According to the speakers, there is strong opposition around the world today to the extraction of minerals and some of their types. They said even the people of the United States had not allowed the extraction of such rare minerals.

They said, “We are the owners of our homeland and its natural resources.” They said attempts to extract the province’s mines and minerals through deals and conspiracies with an imposed, corrupt group were not the right path. They said policies made without asking the owners and representatives of the homeland would have negative effects.

The leaders said that throwing down dead bodies to seize land amounted to betrayal of the country, the homeland and its people, and could not be accepted under any circumstances. They condemned unrest, terrorism and killings by the state in the strongest terms. They demanded an end to terrorism and unrest.