PESHAWAR: The provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was gripped by tension today as local body representatives clashed with police officials at Assembly Chowk, Peshawar.
The protest turns into violent confrontation as protesters breached the city’s red zone. The representatives, who had gathered to protest the provincial government’s closure of powers and withholding of funds, were met with a heavy police presence, including tear gas shelling.
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The protest has been organised by local government representatives who have been voicing their frustrations over the past two and a half years, during which the provincial government has repeatedly failed to disburse funds and grant them their due powers.
Despite numerous promises from the government to address their demands, the representatives claim that nothing has been done, prompting them to take their grievances to the streets.
The situation escalated when protesters blocked Khyber Road, a major thoroughfare in the city, bringing traffic to a standstill. Escalating from there, the protesters crossed the red zone gate on Khyber Road, entering the restricted area and intensifying the standoff with law enforcement.
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A heavy contingent of police was deployed to the scene, including water cannons prepared to disperse the protesters. When the local body representatives remained defiant, unwilling to back down until their demands were met, police resorted to using tear gas shells in an effort to disperse the crowd, leading to further chaos in Assembly Chowk.