Hundreds of anti-terror protesters took to the streets in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat Valley, demanding that the Shehbaz Sharif government take decisive action against terrorism or face being forced to take up arms if the regime fails.
Reportedly, a massive gathering called by Swat Olasi Pasoon and Swat Quami Jirga was held at Matta Chowk in Swat’s Khwazakhela tehsil.
The protest is an embarrassment for the Pakistan Army and civilian government, who sought diplomatic favour after US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome visited Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and referred to it as Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Swat Valley has seen a surge in protests in recent months, with residents taking to the streets to protest the presence of terrorists in the region. Protesters have also accused the government of blocking internet access in most parts of the Swat region, causing hardship for thousands of students.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist activity, with 42 terrorist attacks recorded in September, according to the reports.
Even the United States has advised its citizens not to travel to Pakistan. The US State Department issued a travel advisory on Friday advising citizens not to travel to the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to terrorist and kidnapping incidents.
After talks with the terror group stalled, the Sharif government issued a nationwide alert urging authorities to maintain heightened vigilance amid a heightened risk of terror attacks by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
According to the interior ministry’s report to the Pakistan parliament, the country witnessed 434 terror attacks on security forces during the first six months of 2022, killing at least 323 soldiers.
According to the reports, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had the most terror attacks on security forces, with 247. The Pakistani government learned about the TTP leadership meeting in Afghanistan’s Paktika to discuss the deadlock in peace talks and the fate of negotiations with the government following the killing of commanders Omar Khalid Khorasani and Aftab Parkay.
According to the Pakistani government, the TTP leadership may seek to carry out terror attacks in the coming days in order to avenge the deaths of the top commanders. The Establishment also stated that it had received reports of TTP terrorists attempting to migrate from Afghanistan into north and south Waziristan in order to set up cam for future attacks.