Tribal gathering: Political agent summons jirga to resume polio drive

Tribesmen say they have no objections to the vaccination campaign۔

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The political agent of South Waziristan, Shahidullah Khan, summoned a jirga of 120 members and requested them to resume the polio vaccination campaign. The campaign had been banned by Mullah Nazir, a Taliban leader in Wana, South Waziristan.

The jirga was attended by elders and religious clerics of the Ahmadzai tribe. “Vaccinating children to immunise them from polio is necessary in this area because the polio virus has been found in many cases here. It is the responsibility of the 120 members of this committee to resume the polio drive,” said Khan, addressing the jirga held at the Scouts Camp, Wana.

The elders assured Khan that negotiations with Mullah Nazir were underway, adding that the tribe itself has no objections to their children receiving the vaccinations.

“The jirga was held in a good environment and we agreed that the tribe will cooperate with the government to maintain peace in Wana and solve all issues with cooperation,” said Malik Shereen Jan, a jirga member, while talking to The Express Tribune.

Khan also requested the jirga to investigate the bombing of the Government Higher Secondary School for Girls in Dabkot village. Participants said the tribe has initiated its own inquiry and promised that the culprits would soon be punished. If the tribesmen fail to arrest the accused, the political administration will be informed.

Jirga members protested against the crackdown on Khujal Khel tribe after the school blast and said that further arrests should not be made until they conclude their inquiry.

Last week, the political administration arrested five tribesmen from the Khujal Khel tribe in Tank under the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR). The elders demanded that the tribesmen be released and claimed it was a violation of the FCR and local traditions.

The jirga was attended by Malik Shareen Jan, Malik Khan Zada, Malik Ajmal Khan, Malik Muhammad Ali, among others.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2012.