Application for FIR withdrawn by trader union president of Chitral Bazar after PTI leaders apologized to him for party workers’s bid to shut his shop forcibly.
Bashir Hussain Azad | Chitral Today
Chitral, Feb 8, 2026: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) observed a shutterdown strike and protest rallies in Khyber Pakthunkhwa against what the PTI terms the theft of its mandate in the general elections held two years ago today.
In Chitral, PTI leaders claimed the strike was fully successful in both the districts while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) described it as a complete failure.
Trader unions in both Chitral Lower and Upper had neither announced to support nor oppose the shutterdown call. They had allowed traders to decide individually about closing or opening their businesses. As a result, most of shops both in Chitral town, Booni and other areas remained opened.
A protest demonstration was held under the leadership of MPA Lower Chitral Fatehul Mulk Ali Nasir in Chitral bazar.
Meanwhile, in Drosh, a torch-bearing rally was taken out under the leadership of the PTI general secretary, during which party workers chanted slogans demanding the release of party founder Imran Khan and for the supremacy of the Constitution.
During the strike, an unpleasant situation arose in Chitral Bazar when PTI workers attempted to forcibly close the shop of Traders’ Union President Noor Ahmad Khan Charvelu. An attempt to assault him was also reported, following which an application was submitted to the police for the registration of an FIR against the protesters. However, due to the intervention of PTI leader Farid Hussain Jan and subsequent negotiations, the PTI leadership apologized to the Traders’ Union president. Noor Ahmad Khan later withdrew his application, and the issue was resolved amicably.
The Lower Chitral district presidents of PML-N and PPP criticised the PTI protest, declaring it “100 percent flop.” They stated that traders had rejected attempts to shut markets through coercion. The parties also alleged that PTI was harassing the business community in the name of protest, warning that such actions would not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, KP Assembly Deputy Speaker Suriya Bibi led a rally in Booni in Connection with the protest and call. A statement from the party’s district chapter said that all shops and markets in the area remained closed in response to the protest call.
Related:
No Shutdown Strike in Chitral Bazar on Feb 8: Traders’ Union.