Hundreds of people from different walks of life in Bara town of the Khyber district participated on Tuesday in a “peace march” against what they say failure of government institutions to control the unrest.

They marched 100km from Bara to Tirah ground where the demonstration culminated. People were seen travelling towards their destination in personal vehicles and public buses. It was organised by the Bara Political Union (Bara Siasi Ittehad).

Leaders from Jamaat-e-Islami, PTI, PML-N, ANP, and traders’ heads were also present at the demonstration.

Since last year, people in KP have been protesting against the troublemakers and demanding the law enforcement agencies to ensure peace in the province.

Speakers at the event where people were holding white flags said that the government institutions have “completely failed” in controlling unrest over the past year. They added that such a situation not just affected resulted in the loss of lives, but loss of properties also.

No more unrest would be endured in Bara, they added and said whoever was involved in such designs should know that it would not continue for long.

They warned the government that disruption in their area might spread to other areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa if not controlled.

Until the restoration of security, speakers said that they would continue to “resist” in every way within the Constitution. Next time protests would be extended to the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and later to Islamabad, they added.

“The people of Khyber district showed that they want peace. Traders had shut their shops in solidarity with the protest,” Dr Gul Mand, a political worker, said.

Another worker Fazl Rabi Afridi said that the people of Tirah want to live in peace and want to excel in education, not in the fields of terrorism. He demanded of the state institutions to start development works in the area.

Kashiful Haq, another protester, said that the demonstration showed the world they want peace and books, not gun.