He visited all seven tribal agencies and six Frontier Regions (FRs).
The tribesmen are angry over the war-like situation in their area, he said. “The situation there is worrying as people require permission from the authorities to go from one village to another,” Shakoor said. There are security pickets and barricades everywhere and movement is extremely difficult in the region, he added. People are gripped with fear due to militancy, drones and military operations.
The tribesmen want peace before any political or administrative settlement, he added. His tour ended just as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf held its ‘Peace March,’ which was denied entry into South Waziristan because of security reasons. The JUI-F and the PTI have emerged as rivals with both critcising each other over the past several months.
The jirga’s finding will be presented before the supreme jirga of the party, which will announce its suggestions.
Without peace, merging the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) and other issues remain futile, Shakoor said, expressing the concerns of the tribes.
Commenting on the Mehsud tribe in South Waziristan, he said: “They told us that they are homeless, but no one came forward to sympathise with them and now everyone is talking about the tribal areas and its constitutional status.”
The jirga is headed to Islamabad, where it will brief JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman about ground realities. “We have just solicited opinion of tribesmen, and will highlight what they want,” said the JUI-F information secretary, Haji Jalil Jan.
The jirga was formed by the supreme jirga, which had representatives from all tribal agencies and FRs. It commenced on its tour on September 25.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 10th, 2012.
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