Peshawar-Civil society activists staged a protest rally in Swat to demand the maintenance of peace in the district while the death toll from Tuesday’s bomb blast reached eight as three more bodies were recovered.
Five persons, including a member of the peace committee Idrees Khan, and two cops, had been martyred initially in the explosion in Bandai village of Swat. The explosion was carried out through an improvised explosive device and was fixed to the car of the peace committee member Idrees Khan. Three more bodies were recovered from the blast scene raising the death toll to 8.
Meanwhile, traders, lawyers and members of civil society gathered at Nishat Chowk and staged a rally while carrying placards and banners. The demonstrators marched from Nishat Chowk to Swat Press Club while chanting anti-terrorists and pro-peace slogans. They urged the relevant authorities to end the unrest in the area and added that the reappearance of terrorist activities in the tranquil valley would not be accepted.
“We shall under no circumstances put up with disruption at this time because Swat is a place of peace and calm. To maintain calm in the valley, the government must take tough measures against the militants “said social activist Fazal Khaliq.
Earlier, people in various locations were receiving extortion calls, but the police department did nothing, according to Amjad Sahaab, a local journalist and social activist.