PTM wants security forces represented in Jirga

Also urge empowering tribal elders enough to implement decisions

PESHAWAR: As government Jirga members held a third meeting with Pashtoon Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), the latter have demanded representation of security forces in the Jirga.

PTM demanded that tribal elders of North and South Waziristan districts should be empowered enough that any decision taken during the jirga was implemented.

The demands were made during the third sitting of the jirga in the provincial capital.

Jirga members representing PTM expressed their satisfaction over the meeting calling it a fruitful session in terms of negotiations with the government Jirga members. However, they demanded that a notification of the Jirga should be issued so that it gets an official status.



“There have been Jirgas in the past which mostly failed and we want this Jirga to be announced officially…we want a notification issued in this regard,” Latif Afridi, a prominent legal expert and PTM Jirga member told The Express Tribune.

He stated that since the Jirga was formed by the government, there was no doubt the security forces were on board, adding that all the PTM demands were public but there were concerns since the Jirga members [in the past] had failed to implement decisions taken during previous meetings.

“There were clear violations in the past and the concerns were not addressed since people had died in the erstwhile South Waziristan Agency, many were imprisoned besides PTM’s most active member Mohsin Dawar’s entry into North Waziristan had been banned,” Afridi recalled, adding ‘this is what impeding things.’

The Jirga agreed to settle all local issues relating to the previously federally administered tribal areas through negotiations and to respect the Constitution. Activities will be carried out within the limits of the Constitutions.

The Jirga concluded with an agreement on abandoning anti-state and anti-army sloganeering from PTM platform and releasing all the arrested PTM activists. It was also decided that the next meeting will be held in Civil Officers Mess on July 1 where PTM will bring charter of demands.

Ali Wazir, Said Alam Mehsood, Advocate Fazal, Mohisan Dawar , Advocate Raheem Afridi, Advocate Lateef Afridi represented PTM whereas Gul Afridi, Malik Waris Afridi, Malik Khan Marjaan, Ajmal Wazir, Shah Farman, represented the government during the jirga.