Govt begins regional Jirgas for tribal peace

A tribal jirga on Saturday once again urged the federal government to arrange for a delegation comprising representatives of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government and tribal elders to engage in dialogue with Afghanistan.

The jirga hosted by K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also noted that military operations and displacement of local populations are not acceptable under any circumstances.

According to an official statement, this was the first in a series of jirgas planned to be held under the auspices of the K-P government at addressing peace and security issues.

Tribal elders and elected representatives from Khyber and Orakzai districts, as well as from the tribal sub-divisions of Darra Adam Khel and Hassan Khel, participated in the gathering.

The jirga was attended by 150 tribal elders and leaders, six members of the provincial assembly, three members of the National Assembly, and one senator.

Senior government officials including Adviser to the Chief Minister on Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, and K-P Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed were present at the event, alongside relevant commissioners, deputy commissioners, and senior officers.

In a unanimous resolution, the jirga stated that there is complete unity among all stakeholders in the fight against terrorism and terrorists for the restoration of peace. However, military operations and the displacement of local populations are not acceptable.

It said development is linked to peace, and once peace is restored, the pace of development must accelerate. The tribal elders recommended that the federal government arrange for a delegation to engage in dialogue with Afghanistan.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had summoned a jirga of tribal elders in Peshawar following the killing of some protesters in Tirah last week.

Five people died and 17 others sustained injuries on June 27 when protesters were fired upon during a protest outside a military installation at the Bagh Maidan area of Tirah Valley of the Khyber district against the killing of a girl.

After the incident, the K-P government announced Rs10 million each in compensation for those killed and Rs2.5 million for each of the injured. The provincial government stated that it stood in solidarity with the affected families.

PTI's K-P Organizational Committee, in an emergency meeting last week, strongly condemned ongoing "state violence" against peaceful citizens across the K-P, especially in the merged districts, which constituted the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) till early 2018.

The committee unanimously asserted that extended military deployment under Article 245 of the Constitution has created an unchecked environment of force and ineffective accountability, violating basic rights and disrupting local peace.