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BANNU: Protests broke out across several areas of Bannu after the deadline set by local tribes for the recovery of abducted schoolteacher Farman Ali Shah expired without any action. The teacher was kidnapped on April 23 from the Nurar area by unidentified individuals, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
On Sunday, demonstrators led by Dr. Pir Sahib Zaman from Tehsil Miryan and Malik Farzand Ali Khan from Amandi marched through various markets and gathered outside the city’s Preti Gate, where a large protest rally was held.
Addressing the gathering, speakers including Professor Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, Dr. Pir Sahib Zaman, Malik Adnan Khan, Tehsil Kaki Chairman Junaid Rasheed, Malik Moweez Khan, Malik Raza Khan, Abdul Rauf Qureshi, Idris Khan Shah Wazir, and Tahir Mir strongly condemned the inaction of the district administration. They said the abduction of the teacher had sparked continuous protests from the tribal community, yet authorities have failed to take serious steps.
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A grand jirga was also held at the Bannu Press Club under the chairmanship of Professor Muhammad Ibrahim Khan. Former Senator Baz Muhammad Khan told the media that the people of Bannu were going through immense distress. “Instead of guarding the borders, state institutions are interfering in internal matters,” he stated.
He added that the Nurar tribe had held a sit-in alone to avoid disrupting life for the rest of Bannu’s residents, but the government still did not respond meaningfully. The jirga has now issued a fresh seven-day ultimatum, announcing that if no progress is made by May 19, major roads including the Bannu-Dera Road, Bannu-Kohat Road, and Bannu-Miranshah Road will be blocked.
Tribal elders also announced a boycott of the meeting called by the Bannu Commissioner, declaring that they would not engage in further negotiations and that the protest movement would be expanded.
