Khasadar, tribesmen withdraw boycott threat at last minute

Had said earlier they would abstain from polio drive

SHABQADAR: A tribal jirga in Pandyali tehsil threatened to boycott the upcoming polio vaccination campaign in Mohmand Agency to protest withholding khasadar salaries and allowances of elders. However, assurances from officials convinced them to extend their support to the vaccination drive.

The political administration in Lower Mohmand Agency initially called the tribal elders to Ekka Ghund for negotiations. The meeting was postponed after interim negotiations late on Friday.

Earlier in the day, a jirga of Burhan Khel, Essa Khel and other tribes of the tehsil was held in the lower subdivision of Mohmand Agency. Elders said Pandyali tehsil was one of the peaceful in the agency, but there were some unfortunate incidents of violence last month in Dawizai and on the main Mohmand-Bajaur Road.

In response, the political administrations stopped the salaries of khasadar forces and monthly allowances of tribal elders under the Collective Responsibility Clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulation.

The tribal elders were upset over the fact that these actions were taken despite their tremendous sacrifices which had been acknowledged by the political administration. They stressed it was impossible to stop the odd case of violence in the agency.

The tribespeople claimed khasadar forces were performing their duties with great vigilance. The jirga agreed khasadar would not be in a position to continue if the political administration did not pay their salaries as most of them were poor.

The political administration in Mohmand withheld the khasadar force’s salaries and suspended allowances of elders after an IED blast targeted an FC convoy last month.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2015.