Locals stage sit-in as KP minister denounces killing of 3 children in alleged North Waziristan drone strike

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Relief Minister Haji Nek Muhammad Dawar on Monday strongly condemned the deaths of three children and injuries to women from an alleged drone strike in the North Waziristan district.

A post on his Facebook account said the alleged incident occurred in the district’s Hormuz village in Mir Ali tehsil.

“I have already clearly said on the floor of the KP Assembly that all types of operations and war operations should be kept away from civilian populations, so that the common people, especially innocent women and children, are not harmed,” the post read.

He later told media.com: “We will raise our voice at every forum and make every effort to bring those responsible to justice.”

The minister added that he stood with the affected family and would provide them with all possible assistance. He also ordered an immediate investigation and sought a detailed report from the institutions concerned.

No official statement has been issued at the federal level yet or from provincial authorities.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also addressed the incident in the National Assembly today in the form of “positive advice” for the government.

He said the rulers and the establishment needed to think about giving strength, reassurance and confidence to the nation.

“If today still drones fall in Waziristan […] how will we respond to the people? These are sensitive matters and should be reconsidered. We cannot maintain national unity without thinking about this.”

Meanwhile, locals began a sit-in in the tehsil’s centre with the bodies. All those who died belonged to one family, they said.

Local tribal leaders termed the incident a “government failure” and said that North Waziristan was being targeted once again. They demanded that an impartial commission be formed immediately to investigate the incident, adding that the sit-in would continue until they were satisfied with the investigation.

Former MNA Mohsin Dawar strongly condemned the alleged strike.

JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah also expressed regret over the alleged incident and criticised the lack of coverage on the issue.

“The media is silent. The federal government is silent. The KP government is silent. Politicians are silent,” he said in a post on X.