'No peace for us, no gas for you'
The Utmanzai Jirga in the North Waziristan tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cut off the gas supply after the government failed to meet its demands of establishing lasting peace in the region.
On Friday, the jirga members in in Mir Ali cut off the gas pipeline leading from North Waziristan to other parts of the country as a protest measure.
The the Utmanzai Jirga Chairman Malik Nasrullah had given the government a deadline of August 14 and said that if the government did not fulfill its promise of establishing lasting peace in the district, he would suspend the supply of gas to the rest of the country.
Maulana Baitullah, the spokesperson of Utmanzai Jirga, said in his address to the Mir Ali sit-in on August 15 that they could not remove the entire pipeline due to lack of machines. Regardless, locals were able to cut a part of the supply apparatus with shovels and other tools.
This latest action of the jirga comes days after it rallied thousands of tribespeople to take to the streets against the unending wave of lawlessness, target killings and military operations in their region.
The protest was jointly organised by the Utmanzai Jirga, Pakhtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), political parties and Aman Pasawon in at the Mir Ali Bazaar. Thousands of people, including leaders, workers of political parties and the general public, attended the rally and subsequent meeting.
The participants of Aman Pasawon observed a complete shutter down strike in solidarity to register their protest.
Utmanzai Jirga Chief Malik Nasrullah Khan, Mufti Baitullah, Malik Jan Faraz, Political Alliance Chairman Abdul Khalil, former PTI National Assembly candidate Malik Aurangzeb and PTM senior leader Eid Rehman addressed the sit-in, along with other social activists.
They said peace was the responsibility of the state and institutions must fulfill their responsibilities.
"Targeted killings and lawlessness are proof enough that state institutions have either failed to perform their duties or are supporting those who create such conditions," one of the protest leaders stressed.
The speakers said that the state institutions should correct their direction, fulfill their constitutional responsibilities within the framework of the law.
The protest leaders pointed out that local tribesmen were peaceful people who did not believe in violence. They pointed out that this show of public enthusiasm was an attempt to demonstrate that the tribespeople wanted peace in the district. They pointed out that ensuring security and establishing peace in the region is the sole responsibility of the state.
They warned institutions that if they did not remove their shortcomings to establish the writ of the government, it would be the state that would be responsible for consequent losses.
He announced that Aman Pasawon would continue until their demands were accepted.
Towards the end of July in 2024, a similar protest was held in the neighbouring South Waziristan district as tribespeople from that region were also fed up of the lawlessness, targeted attacks and extortion. At the time, a similar number of people also took to the streets of Bajaur to protest against the same menaces.
A rally was organised in Wana, the capital of South Waziristan Lower under the Muttahida Siasi Aman Pasawoon. Thousands of people including tribal elders, leaders and workers of political parties, as well as local residents participated in the rally.