On the call of tripartite opposition alliance, comprising Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), a partial shutter-down strike was observed on Wednesday in various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) against alleged rigging in the province’s local government (LG) elections.
The alliance leaders had asked the traders of Peshawar to support their strike. However, most traders stepped back and opened their businesses while the general public did not pay much heed either.
Sporadic clashes were observed in some areas, including Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Nowshera, Haripur, Abbottabad and Mansehra, where the protestors attempted forced closure of shops, however trade activities largely continued unaffected in the province.
The rallies of JUI-F and ANP activists emerged from different areas of Peshawar and flocked at Hashtnagari before proceeding to Yadgar Chowk where leaders of the alliance including, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Najamuddin Khan, Syed Aqil Shah, Haji Ghulam Ali, Amanullah Haqani, Malik Ghulam Mustafa, Shujaul Mulk and Abdul Jaleel Jan, addressed the protesters.
Meanwhile, forcible closure of shops was reported in parts of Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan and Nowshera, where opposition workers patrolled the city encouraging traders to observe the strike. Electronics media showed workers belonging to the tripartite opposition alliance protesting at Peshawar’s Ashraf Road and manhandling shopkeepers.
According to some reports, workers threw the goods of a few shopkeepers out of their shops and were seen using flags sticks for coercion. However, shops, markets and offices on University Road, Saddar, Shoba Bazaar, Qissa Khawani Bazaar, Hashtnagari, Khyber Bazaar, Board Bazaar, Hayatabad and Charsadda Road remained opened throughout the day per routine.
On University Road, the activists of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) scuffled with the rally participants while the tripartite alliance activists torched tyres causing massive traffic jam on the one side of the road. Hundreds of cars and other four-wheelers were stranded for more than an hour.
In the meanwhile, security personnel, carrying riot shields and batons, remained deployed along the rallies.
The leaders of the alliance, in their speeches at different points during the rally, called their strike successful and thanked the businessmen for supporting it.
ANP leader Mian Iftikhar Hussain accused the provincial government of using the police against traders and shopkeepers. He said that a provincial government delegation on Tuesday night had requested for a peaceful observance of strike but next day the government used police to harass the shopkeepers in order to keep their businesses open. He warned the government that “it would take only a few minutes to bring the province to a standstill”.
“The government called the All Parties Conference (APC) because it was afraid of our strike. The APC is however useless because the allies of government are against it,” he said.
Moreover, Najamuddin Khan said that they were not going to step back from their stance but would announce their new plans later.
Previously, the alliance on Tuesday had rejected the proposals made during the APC convened by KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, who had suggested formation of a judicial commission to probe rigging allegations in LG polls.
“It has been proved that the LG polls were rigged, hence there is no need to form a judicial commission for investigation. The government should step down and announce elections under a caretaker set up,” said ANP’s Hussain had said.
Taking the opposition by its horns, KP Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani condemned the forced closure of shops and businesses. Terming the strike a “complete failure”, he invited the tripartite opposition for talks on the issue of rigging.
Speaking during a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Ghani said, “After the strike, those who won three to four seats in the assembly saw how popular they really are.” They could have won local government elections with a thumping majority had they not created disturbance on the polling day, he added.
Speaking on the law and order situation during the strike, he said they have asked for collecting the CCTV footage of the incidents and would register FIR against those who were involved.
Regarding the Judicial Commission for conducting inquiry into the LG polls rigging and mismanagements, he said the political parties should collect their evidences so that it could be provided to the judicial commission.
