Hanna Urak Tribal Elders Reject Allegations, Defend Protest After Government Accepts Demands
QUETTA: Tribal elders from Hanna Urak have rejected all allegations against their protest committee, publicly placing their hands on the Holy Quran during a press conference to deny what they described as a coordinated propaganda campaign.
Speaking on behalf of the protest committee, Mufti Rahmatullah, along with Ajab Khan Kakar, Malik Naseem Kakar, Maulvi Ali Jan, Malik Asif Kakar, and relatives of the victims, said the sit-in was conducted peacefully and strictly in accordance with its stated objectives.
The speakers said the protest was launched following the July 5 attack on Killi Babri in Hanna Urak, in which five young men—Naqeebullah, Gulraiz Khan, Muhammad Younis, Muhammad Ashraf, and Muhammad Rafiq—were killed, eight others were seriously injured, and 12 people were allegedly abducted.
They stated that the protest continued peacefully for five days and received support from residents of Quetta, traders, tribal elders, lawyers, doctors, religious scholars, political leaders, social organizations, members of the Hazara and Christian communities, and the media.
According to the tribal elders, the protesters presented three key demands to the government: the safe recovery of the abducted individuals, the restoration of peace and security in the area, including clearing nearby mountains of armed elements, and direct engagement with the relevant authorities. They claimed the government accepted all three demands.
Mufti Rahmatullah said that after successful negotiations, it became the protesters’ moral responsibility not to prolong difficulties for the people of Quetta, and therefore the sit-in was called off.
The tribal elders alleged that following the end of the protest, certain vested interests launched a campaign on social media to discredit the victims’ families and the protest committee. They strongly rejected those allegations and claimed that some leaders of Pashtun nationalist parties were also involved in spreading the campaign.
They urged the public to keep the sacrifices of the victims above politics, rumors, and social media campaigns, emphasizing that their message was one of justice, unity, and peace rather than revenge or division.
The speakers also clarified reports regarding the families of the Ziarat tragedy victims, saying they had advised them to hold their protest at a separate location while assuring them of their full support. According to the tribal elders, the Ziarat protesters subsequently staged their sit-in at Coal Phatak in Quetta.
Concluding the press conference, the tribal elders said they strongly condemned what they described as baseless propaganda and vowed to respond to it at an appropriate time.
