In a massive show of defiance against the Taliban’s presence and harassment by security forces, thousands of residents of Kurram district in Pakistan took to the streets yesterday, demanding peace and rejection of the “Project Taliban”. However, this significant protest remarkably received no coverage from the mainstream media.
The protesters, comprising people from all walks of life in Kurram, raised slogans against the growing Taliban influence and brutalities being inflicted upon the local populace. They criticized both the Taliban militants as well as the heavy-handed actions of Pak security forces operating in the region.
Pashtun leaders have been vocal against Islamabad in promoting religious extremism by providing covert support to the Taliban as part of its regional strategic depths policy, dubbed “Project Taliban.”
However, with no assurances forthcoming from authorities, the people of Kurram continue to live in a perpetual state of fear, caught between the Taliban’s brutalities and the heavy-handedness of security forces.