Workers pack the Ring Road complex
JUI-F secretariat demolition rumours kept Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl cadres on edge in Peshawar on Wednesday as volunteers filled Mufti Mehmood Markaz on Ring Road. Members of the party’s Ansarul Islam security wing arrived early, joined by a large crowd of other workers, after talk spread that sections of the provincial headquarters might be cleared in the capital’s encroachment drive.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information secretary Abdul Jalil Jan said the gathering followed those circulating claims. He told reporters the party had been assured that nothing harmful would be done to the complex, and that no removal order had come from the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA), the city body that manages development and clearances.
What leaders say, and what officials will not confirm
A district administration official declined to discuss Mr Jan’s account of those assurances. A PDA contact did not answer calls or messages.
Later, provincial emir Senator Maulana Attaur Rehman spoke to workers at the Markaz. He described the expected move as a “pressure tactic” meant to push the party into line. After hearing that the headquarters might be targeted, he said he told Ansarul Islam’s head to bring in staff from the Peshawar and Charsadda units so the site would not be left exposed.
Mr Rehman said the party had told the authorities it had shut the Service Road in front of the complex for security, including protection of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman. He added that police numbers at the Markaz rise whenever the chief visits the city.
He challenged the governor to tackle encroachments on Khyber Road, claiming they take up nearly half the carriageway, and said: “I am sure that you can’t even lift an eye towards the Khyber Road encroachments.” He warned that tearing down any part of the compound would put the chief’s security in danger. On paperwork, he said none had arrived yet: “Though I heard they have issued such a notice today but we have yet to receive it.” He insisted the party would defend the premises if pressed.
Wider clearance push in Peshawar
A broad clearance effort has continued in several areas of Peshawar since an emergency was imposed in the province. On Tuesday the district administration said 560 structures had already been removed citywide. On Wednesday it reported that most illegal builds along Circular Road between Ramdas Chowk and Asia Gate were gone, saying the aim was to free the road and nearby strips, ease traffic, and cut disruption for road users. JUI-F office news from the Markaz sat inside that wider city operation, even as party leaders insisted their headquarters had not been formally served.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Emergency period (ongoing): Clearance work begins across parts of Peshawar after an emergency is imposed in the province.
- Tuesday: District administration states that 560 structures have been removed across the provincial capital since the drive started.
- Wednesday morning: Ansarul Islam volunteers and other JUI-F workers assemble at Mufti Mehmood Markaz amid rumours of partial razing.
- Wednesday: Abdul Jalil Jan says there is no PDA notice and that officials promised no harmful step; district and PDA sides do not confirm that claim.
- Wednesday later: Maulana Attaur Rehman addresses workers, calls the scare a pressure move, and says any notice has not yet reached the party.
- Wednesday: Administration says most encroachments on Circular Road between Ramdas Chowk and Asia Gate have been cleared.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Peshawar mein JUI-F ke Markaz par workers jamah ho gaye kyunke afwah thi ke building ka kuch hissa gira diya jayega. Party ke log kehte hain unhein koi notice nahi mila aur wada hai ke secretariat par hath nahi dala jayega. Shehr mein encroachment hatane ka bada operation chal raha hai, jis mein pehle hi kai sau structures giraaye ja chuke hain. Abhi secretariat par asl action confirm nahi, lekin tension aur protest ki surat pehle se maujood hai.
