PESHAWAR: The volunteers of peace committees in the suburban areas of Peshawar have tightened security in their respective localities after receiving threatening telephone calls from militants.
The peace volunteers have started regular patrolling of the entry points in their areas to check movement of suspected persons.
A police official told Dawn that situation was under control mainly owing to the two recent operations in parts semi-tribal regions. However, he said that police still believed that militants were present in the areas and kept an eye on their movement but overall situation was under control.
The main problem, the official said, was created for police by the informers, who seemed to have constant contact with militants and guided them about their targets.
“We patrol the main roads regularly till evening but it becomes very difficult owing to rocket attacks on the police vans. The personnel deployed at different posts have to check movement of militants after sunset as they (police) have all kinds of weapons with them,” the official said.
Adezai Qaumi Lashkar chief Fazal Malik, when contacted, said that peace volunteers were already active but now militants were threatening them to attack the village.
“I have personally received several calls from Bilal, a militant, who belongs to Adezai village and has recently shifted to Afghanistan. He is furious over the killing of his younger brother Adnan during an operation few months ago,” he said.
Mr Malik said that Taliban through their messages and telephone calls asked the peace body workers to buy shrouds for themselves as they could attack anytime.
He said that peace volunteers had to check movement of suspected people even at night because they used to plant improvised explosive devices in the pathways and roads in the area.
“Our people avoid moving in the night as we have already given sacrifices of over 100 people several of whom were killed inside mosques,” Mr Malik said.
He said that police had withdrawn their personnel from a local checkpost that doubled the duty of the peace volunteers. He added that high ranking police officials including capital city police officer Peshawar had been transferred and he did not know as to who should be contacted for reinforcement of the force in the area.
Similarly, Mr Malik said, Taliban had also asked some people of Adezai village to give them donations for what they called jihad. “One of our friends associated with Awami National Party and living in Karachi has received telephone calls from Afghanistan to pay Rs15 million to Taliban otherwise he will face their wrath,” he said.
The local Taliban, Mr Malik said, had also shifted their families to undisclosed locations. “We have nothing to do with children and women of Taliban as Pakhtun traditions do not allow us to attack them,” he said.
He said that many Taliban had been missing for the past one year and people believed that they had been killed but the telephone calls proved they were alive.
The chief of the peace body said that it was duty of the government to check movement of Taliban’s informers and their families so that activities of terrorists could be controlled.
The SP rural could not be contacted by telephone for comments.