PESHAWAR: Minister for Labour and Culture, Shoukat Yousafzai on Wednesday apprised the provincial assembly that police did not use force against protestors in Janikhel area of Bannu district in which one person was reportedly killed in firing incident.
People in Janikhel have been staging a protest since May 31 against the murder of a prominent tribal leader Naseem khan and refused to bury him until their demands were fulfilled.
Shoukat Yousafzai giving details of Janikhel situation in the provincial assembly, after ANP members staged a walkout in protest over target killing and worsening law and order situation in Janikhel area, he said that protestors were holding sit-in at different location and when police tried to stop the protestors who wanted to go Islamabad at Marwat canal location they resorted to violence, beaten police officials and set a police vehicle on fire.
He said that government has allocated Rs. 2 billion for development package in Janikhel area and earlier four ministers on the directive of Chief Minister Mahmood visited Janikhel to hold talks with protestors and accepted their demands.
He said that it was against the Islamic principles to refuse the dead and hold protest along his body.
He said that now people in Janikhel were now at odds with each other over the use of development funds.
Shoukat Yousafzai sought the opposition help to defuse tension in Janikhel and said that both government and opposition have joint desire of durable peace in the province.
He said that nobody would be allowed to disturb law and order situation for which people of province and security forces given unprecedented sacrifices.
Earlier, ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak, Khushdil Khan, Inayatullah Khan expressed their concerns over incidents of targeted killing, militancy and law and order situation in Janikhel.