Ever since a television programme by this name was conceived in an air-conditioned room and put on air every weekend, the word ‘jirga’ appears to have lost its meaning, significance and the respect attached to this grand old tradition.
The word jirga (assembly or assemblage) of the influential and elderly people was a Pashtun tradition rooted in culture. It was an extra-judicial forum with no written law and was convened as often as possible to speedily resolve a knotty dispute in the vital interest of the two sides involved. Traditionally, a jirga would be convened to resolve matters arising out of claims on land, money matters and subjects as delicate as breach of honour.
The mediation by the jirga and its final judgement would be binding on the parties involved, and any violation thereof would invoke heavy penalty. Quite often, a jirga would make the dispute even more fractious leading to chaos, mayhem and even bloodshed during the very proceedings.
It has now assumed a more fashionable meaning and, having lost its spirit to the television screen, we now see its manifestation in different forms. Unfortunately, in its newest translations, a jirga ends up little more than being frivolous.
The latest demonstration of this frivolity was witnessed in the KP Assembly Hall on November 12, 2025. A jirga had been convened by the K-P government to address the devastating security situation in the province. Everyone was seen in attendance except those who were the cause of the trouble. It was a fruitless exercise in demagoguery and tasteless rhetoric from the word go. The assemblage had been announced to be the collective wisdom of the people of the province, but the outcome pronounced them all as sleepy creatures forced out of their warm bedrooms.
A jirga would have meant a sitting with the militants who appear to be adamant in their stance that says, ‘Sharia or nothing.’ Nobody in the ‘jirga’ mentioned that even in passing as they busied themselves with simplistic understanding of and solutions to the incredibly intricate issue. Hence the invitees dispersed quietly after taking good care of their gastronomic requirements.
Nasser Yousaf
Abbottabad
