PTI protest in KP's Bara turns violent as demonstrators clash with police

PTI protest in KP's Bara turns violent as demonstrators clash with police.

Key points

• Ibrahim ShinwariIsmail Khan Published October 14, 2026 Updated October 14, 2026 12: 15am.
• There were additionally reports of the nearby National Database and Registration Authority's office and a portion of the Rescue 1122 building being torched.
• Capital City Police Peshawar remarked in an official note that 50 "miscreant elements" in Bara who "attempted to spread unrest" had been arrested.
• After which police reached the site, scores of PTI workers assembled at the Khyber Chowk in Bara Bazaar in the afternoon for the protest.
• Police eventually dispersed the protesters from Khyber Chowk but all roads leading to Bara Bazaar were closed even as the demonstration concluded.

Ibrahim ShinwariIsmail Khan Published October 14, 2026 Updated October 14, 2026 12: 15am. Join our Whatsapp Channel.

KHYBER: A protest demonstration by the PTI workers in Khyber's Bara tehsil turned violent on Tuesday as protesters clashed with police and administration buildings were set ablaze.

There were reports of police firing live rounds and tear gas and protesters manhandling law enforcers. Dawn was able to confirm injuries to at least five protesters, based on accounts by eyewitnesses. This person asked not to be named, while police remarked 50 residents had been arrested.

Nevertheless, a doctor at Hayatabad Medical Complex, one of the city's three major hospitals, informed Dawn that more than a dozen injured, including four policemen, had been brought to the facility.

Notably, the protest was held against the imposition of governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkwa – a move that has rendered PTI's Sohail Afridi non-functional as the province's chief minister – and emergency in 12 of its districts, including Khyber.

There were reports of police initially resorting to baton-charge and tear gas shelling to disperse protesters. Eyewitnesses informed Dawn that police managed to disperse some protesters but afterwards local MPA Abdul Ghani Afridi additionally reached the site with more PTI supporters.

Meanwhile, the protesters forced police to retreat, with some of the law enforcers taking shelter in nearby shops and commercial buildings, according to eyewitnesses. After which law enforcers fired tear gas shells and live rounds in the air, reports received from the area remarked protesters manhandled police and dragged them out of shops.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Bara Siyasi Ittehad pressed both PTI workers and police to avoid violent confrontation.

Separately, the newly appointed adviser on information and broadcasting in KP, Samar Haroon Bilour, remarked, "Forty-two PTI-affiliated miscreants associated with vandalism and unrest have been arrested, of whom 25 are illegal Afghans." She accused the protesters of damaging public and administration property.

Meanwhile, the adviser alleged that some individuals, reportedly led by PTI leaders, attempted to create unrest at Bara Chowk.

She continued that police produced arrests over the incident and brought the situation under control.

Dawn could not independently verify the number of arrests, the extent of the damage and the nationality and immigration status of those detained.

Ismail Khan is Dawn's Editor (North), based in Peshawar. With 35 years of reporting experience, he covers politics and security problems in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan. He was part of the NYT reporting team that received the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the region.

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