Litigation halted in volatile southern K-P

All courts from South Waziristan, Tank to be shifted to DI Khan

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court has decided to transfer all courts from Tank and South Waziristan to Dera Ismail Khan due to the precarious security situation.

The court has directed all judicial officers to start working in DI Khan, and the courts for both districts will continue to operate there until the security situation improves.

According to sources from the Peshawar High Court, an important meeting was held yesterday under the chairmanship of the chief justice, and attended by the judges of the Peshawar High Court as well as judicial officers from Tank and South Waziristan.

In light of the recent security situation, including attacks on judges and other incidents in Tank and South Waziristan, Chief Justice Peshawar High Court, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, along with other judges, unanimously approved the decision that all courts and cases from these districts will now be heard in Dera Ismail Khan.

The decision was made to ensure the safety of judicial officers from the affected districts, and all relevant authorities have been informed. Sources also revealed that the security situation in Tank and South Waziristan is currently unstable, and security issues are obstructing the work of judicial officers. To ensure their safety, all cases from these districts have been transferred to the courts in Dera Ismail Khan, where the judicial officers will continue to hear their respective cases. It has been further clarified that the courts will only return to their original districts once the security situation improves.

In July, thousands took to the streets after becoming fed up the lawlessness, targeted attacks and extortion in the South Waziristan district.

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.

The demonstrators said the establishment of peace was the responsibility of the state. Therefore, institutions should fulfill their responsibilities, they asserted.

"Targeted attacks, extortion, and the worsening law and order situation have once against proven that state institutions have either failed to perform their duty completely or are supporting those who are creating a law-and-order situation," one of the speakers emphasised.

The speakers stressed that state institutions should correct their approach, and fulfill their responsibilities within the framework of the country's Constitution and laws.

The leaders said they are peaceful people who did not believe in violence. They continued that the gathered masses had shown that they desire peace in the district and demanded that government departments work to this end.

The tribal leaders warned that if institutions were unable to remove hurdles in the way of peace, the general public would be forced to think of the next step.

In the end, Maulana Naik Muhammad presented a 14-point resolution to pinpoint that maintaining peace, law and order was the responsibility of the state. The document added that no group, committee or militant organisation was acceptable in the name of peace.

They also expressed their strong opposition to Operation Azm-e-Istehkam in Waziristan. "Culprits responsible for the attack on Maulana Mirzajan and Maulana Deen Saeed must be arrested as soon as possible and brought to justice," the resolution demanded.

It also urged authorities to interfering with the civil administration and restrain the police from taking illegal or unconstitutional actions.

"To ensure the safety of the people and civil servants of South Waziristan, economic curbs should be lifted.