Jirga demand: Mehsud tribesmen urge safety during operation

Demand compensation for victims of Ziarat Zhay incident

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The elders of Mehsud tribe called upon the government to protect innocent people, including women and children, while carrying out an operation against militants in the area.

They held a jirga on Monday to express their sorrow over the death of nine members of a family who were killed during a military operation against militants in Ziarat Zhay area of Sawakai tehsil, South Waziristan this week.



Gathered at the compound of the Political Agent Office, located in district Tank, the tribesmen called for a compensation package for the victims.

While presenting their other demands to Political Agent South Waziristan Zafarul Islam Khattak, they expressed their concerns over the ongoing repatriation and fresh arrival of internally displaced people (IDPs). They said that the government should address the problems of the Mehsud tribe.

The tribal elders also stressed that those families freshly coming from Ziarat Zhay should be shifted to safer ground, adding that those yet to come should be given enough time so that they can also shift their cattle and belongings.

On the occasion, Zafarul Islam said, “The government will extend its every cooperation. We are not only sad over the incident but I am in contact with high-ups of the government to compensate the victims.”

Jirga should play its role in evacuating those families who are living in the Mehsud area, the political agent said, adding that this is how we could avoid such incidents in the future.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd,   2015.