CHAMAN: A large protest erupted in Chaman on Sunday as the All Parties Traders Alliance staged a demonstration against the government’s decision to merge the Levies Force into the police.
Leaders and activists from several political and social groups — including the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Jamiat Nazriyati, Jamaat-e-Islami, Mazloom Awami Tehreek, PTM, Barkzai Qaumi Ittehad, traders, and civil society representatives — participated in the protest in significant numbers.
The demonstrators marched through various roads in the city before gathering outside the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, where the protest turned into a public meeting. Participants carried banners and placards opposing the merger of the Levies Force into the police and demanding the issuance of special border cards for movement across the Chaman border and the restoration of local employment opportunities.
Speakers said the Levies Force is a trusted local institution that has played a vital role in maintaining law and order in the region. They stressed that the government’s decision to merge the Levies into the police without consulting public representatives was unacceptable.
The protest leaders urged the government to retain the existing Levies system, issue special cards for tribal residents to facilitate border movement, and ensure the livelihoods of local people in cross-border trade and related activities.
Earlier this week, Deputy Commissioner Kachhi had suspended 20 Levies Force Personnel including Risaldars, Naib Risaldars.
The suspended Levies Forces Personnel include Mohammad Nadeemullah Bakhsh, Fida Hussian, Atar Khan, Adbul Wahid, Barkat Ali, Mumtaz Ali, Ghulam Farooq, Tariq Mehboob, Ali Sarfaraz, Ahmed Saifullah, Akhtar Ali, Raza Shah, Naseer Ahmed, Arbab Khan and Mohammad Asghar.
