In an unprecedented move, police personnel in Lakki Marwat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have taken to the streets in protest, shutting down the Indus Highway to voice their anger over the growing wave of targeted killings in the region. The demonstrators, comprised of frustrated police officers, are demanding that the police force be empowered to counter these attacks, while calling for the removal of secret agencies from the control room.
Chanting slogans like “We are being fueled by a dollar war,” protestors expressed their frustration over the deliberate manipulation by the occupied state, the Paki establishment of exploiting the Pashtun regions for financial gain. The rise of militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is part of a calculated strategy to attract funding from the United States, under the guise of fighting terrorism.
These so-called terror attacks are engineered by the Punjabi Pak Army whenever it faces budget shortages or when the economy slows down. They impose fake terrorism on Pashtun soil to portray themselves as victims of terror. This way, the Punjabi-Pak Army draws money in the form of international aid, claiming they are fighting the war on terrorism.
However, it is the Pashtuns who bear the brunt of this “war,” facing atrocities such as targeted killings, fake encounters, and forced disappearances. While the Army fills its coffers, Pashtuns are left to suffer.
This protest marks a significant development in the ongoing unrest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as the police personnel—who are often seen as foot soldiers in the occupied-state’s so-called counterterrorism efforts—have openly rebelled against the military’s manipulation and exploitation of the region.