An 80-member grand Jirga comprising tribal elders from Khyber district has reached the Tirah Valley to hold negotiations with terrorists operating in the area, according to reliable local sources. The delegation, representing elders from all five tehsils of Khyber district, traveled to the volatile region in a renewed effort to bring peace through dialogue rather than force.
Sources told The Express Tribune that that the Jirga members, after consulting with a local committee of elders, began talks with representatives of the terrorists at a religious seminary in the valley. The discussions, they added, were aimed at persuading the armed group to vacate the area peacefully and end hostilities that have recently escalated tension in Tirah and adjoining regions.
According to Jirga members, both sides agreed to observe a temporary ceasefire until this evening to allow negotiations to continue in a calm and secure environment. The ceasefire, they said, would provide much-needed space for dialogue and confidence-building between the terrorists and community elders.
Insiders familiar with the proceedings revealed that during the first round of talks, the TTP operatives presented two key demands. The first is the restoration of the pre-2018 status of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which were merged with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa that year under constitutional reforms. The second demand calls for the implementation of Sharia law in the tribal districts.
The jirga, after the initial meeting, moved to a local hujra (community guesthouse) for internal consultations to deliberate on the TTP's proposals and to finalize a response strategy. Sources said that the negotiations are expected to continue in the coming days, with both sides showing cautious optimism about the prospects for peace.
Local residents and political observers have expressed hope that the talks could help prevent further violence in the region, which has seen a resurgence of militant activity in recent months. Security officials have maintained a watchful stance but have not intervened in the process so far, allowing tribal mechanisms to play their traditional mediating role.
The Tirah Valley, known for its rugged terrain and strategic location near the Afghan border, has historically been a hotspot of militancy and military operations. Tribal Jirgas have long been a cornerstone of conflict resolution in the region, often stepping in to broker truces and prevent bloodshed when formal channels falter.
As of now, the outcome of the ongoing talks remains uncertain, but the participation of prominent elders and the temporary truce have injected a sense of cautious optimism among the people of Khyber and the wider tribal belt.
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