- PTI chairman reaches Parachinar to express solidarity with victim families
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan reached Parachinar on Friday to express his grief and solidarity with the families of victims after the town was rocked by twin bombings on June 23.
Addressing the protesters, he said that due to bad weather he was not able to reach Parachinar earlier. He said that the entire Pakistan shares their sorrows with them. He said that there was an international conspiracy to create a divide among the Muslims.
The sit-in of Parachinar was called off on Friday evening by the protesters after a meeting with Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa who lamented the firing by the Frontier Constabulary personnel last week, which had resulted in the death of four civilians.
Shortly after he arrived in the city, the army chief was briefed and given an update on the security situation in Parachinar where at least 72 were killed and 200 others were injured. General Bajwa met with tribal elders and members of the Shia community in the capital city of Kurram Agency.
The residents have been protesting against the government inaction following the bombings and had demanded a visit from the interior affairs minister and the army chief. During the meeting, the Shia community presented a list of 11 demands which includes Rs5 million compensation for those killed in the attack, and Rs2.5m for those injured.
The protesters have also demanded that the Frontier Constabulary, currently deployed in the city, be replaced by the militia force for the security of Parachinar, and that the FC commandant be removed from his post. They demanded that a report on terrorist incidents should be made public and the border be secured.
