PESHAWAR
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) protest against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government turned violent on Monday after police fired tear gas to disperse workers attempting to enter the Red Zone near the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
The demonstration, held under the banner of the “Save the Province Campaign,” saw PPP workers clashing with police near Assembly Chowk.
Tear gas shelling forced the protesting crowd to disperse, while some workers retaliated by pelting stones at the police.
Amid the chaos, PPP workers reportedly set fire to a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) camp, including its equipment and chairs, which had been set up at Assembly Chowk.
Police officials stated that law enforcement only responded when protestors tried to breach the Red Zone, adding that no PPP leader was harmed and no arrests were made.
PPP leaders, however, claimed the protest was peaceful until provoked by police action. Speaking to reporters, PPP leader Salim Khan condemned the use of tear gas and termed the police action as violence against peaceful demonstrators.
He claimed several PPP leaders and workers were injured and have been shifted to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) in critical condition.
PPP MPA Ihsanullah accused PTI supporters of disrupting the protest. “PTI goons attacked our peaceful demonstration, set our banners on fire, and the police resorted to baton-charge and shelling,” he said. “But these tactics will not discourage us. This movement will only gain strength.”
In response, PTI leaders in Peshawar alleged that the PPP deliberately set fire to their camp in an attempt to dramatize a failed rally and later instigated violence by attacking police personnel with stones.
Meanwhile, Governor KP Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the police action and termed it undemocratic. “The government’s violent response to a peaceful protest is evidence of its failure and desperation,” he stated. “The strong public turnout in the Save the Province campaign has clearly exposed the weaknesses of the provincial administration.”
The situation remains tense in the area, with heightened security around the provincial assembly and calls for an impartial investigation into the incident.
