Amid a surge in militancy in northwest Pakistan, a local militant commander, in Wana town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan district, has announced that peace is not possible in the area without the presence of what he said is ‘good Taliban’.
Mir Ajam Khan, who came in with a dozen of his armed men, in his brief speech there, gave credit to ‘good Taliban’ for restoring peace in the area in 2007, the Dawn newspaper reported.
The Waziristan militant commander is the same person who had announced a few days ago to start policing in Wana town from November 15 onwards, the report added.
The Pakistani newspaper quoted him saying that Ajam Khan said that the Taliban could restore peace and people would regret it if the ‘good Taliban’ were not handed over control of the town.
In a last week’s video message, Mir Ajam announced that the Taliban would replace police in Wana.
On Sunday, thousands took to the streets to express their anguish against the rise of militants.
The protest march saw the participation of hundreds of people along with the presence of members of the PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami, and other political parties, Dawn reported.
The protesters demanded a ban on armed groups in the district, tackling the rise of terrorism, getting rid of kidnappings for ransom adequate security for the public, contractors, and traders.
WSI member Saeed Wazir told Dawn that no government representatives had yet made efforts to negotiate with the protestors, warning that if the authorities failed to fulfill their demands, another protest would be staged on November 20.
Last month, the residents of Swat and Shangla also protested against the wave of terrorism. They reminded the Pakistani government to do more against terrorism in the region.
They also demanded authorities to clamp down on elements ruining the peace in the area, the Dawn reported.
This protest was held in the wake of a terrorist incident where a school van was attacked, killing the driver and injuring two children.
