Nowhere to go: Mehsud tribesmen denounce displacement decision
First jirga of the immigrant tribe in which they condemn the decision of the pro-government Taliban commander.
DI KHAN:
The uprooted youth of the Mehsud tribe on Saturday denounced the decision of their displacement taken by the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe following a suicide attack on Taliban commander Mullah Nazir in South Waziristan.
This was the first jirga of the immigrant tribe in which they condemned the decision of the pro-government Taliban commander.
They passed a resolution saying Mehsud and Wazir tribes are like two brothers in South Waziristan, and that they expected the Ahmadzai tribe to deal with the displaced Mehsud tribesmen according to tribal customs and traditions.
“The decision is unjust and cruel,” said Jamal Hussain, who presided over the jirga. He added that the youth of both tribes will play their role in defusing prevailing tension and avoiding a widening of the spilt.
Hussain said the Mehsud and Wazir tribes have collectively rendered sacrifices to defend the sovereignty of Pakistan. He said they fought in the 1961 and 1971 wars against the Indian Army, adding the government’s attitude towards them has greatly disappointed the tribes now.
He also criticised the political administration for failing to take any steps to provide relief to scores of displaced families. “The government needs to take immediate steps to provide them with basic facilities in this hour of distress.”
Another youth of the Mehsud tribe, Abdul Majid Lagaree said his tribe wants education, not arms. He maintained the government should implement alternative measures for providing education.
Participants of the Jirga also held a peace walk from Haq Nawaz Park to DI Khan Press Club, carrying banners and placards inscribed with ‘we want peace in Waziristan, we want education: we condemn the war on terror.’
Meanwhile, naib ameer of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Maulvi Muhammad Hashim said in a news conference in South Waziristan Agency that the government should do its utmost to provide relief to Mehsud tribesmen, who were facing immense problems.
He criticised the political agent of the agency for remaining apathetic to the people’s miseries.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2012.
The uprooted youth of the Mehsud tribe on Saturday denounced the decision of their displacement taken by the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe following a suicide attack on Taliban commander Mullah Nazir in South Waziristan.
This was the first jirga of the immigrant tribe in which they condemned the decision of the pro-government Taliban commander.
They passed a resolution saying Mehsud and Wazir tribes are like two brothers in South Waziristan, and that they expected the Ahmadzai tribe to deal with the displaced Mehsud tribesmen according to tribal customs and traditions.
“The decision is unjust and cruel,” said Jamal Hussain, who presided over the jirga. He added that the youth of both tribes will play their role in defusing prevailing tension and avoiding a widening of the spilt.
Hussain said the Mehsud and Wazir tribes have collectively rendered sacrifices to defend the sovereignty of Pakistan. He said they fought in the 1961 and 1971 wars against the Indian Army, adding the government’s attitude towards them has greatly disappointed the tribes now.
He also criticised the political administration for failing to take any steps to provide relief to scores of displaced families. “The government needs to take immediate steps to provide them with basic facilities in this hour of distress.”
Another youth of the Mehsud tribe, Abdul Majid Lagaree said his tribe wants education, not arms. He maintained the government should implement alternative measures for providing education.
Participants of the Jirga also held a peace walk from Haq Nawaz Park to DI Khan Press Club, carrying banners and placards inscribed with ‘we want peace in Waziristan, we want education: we condemn the war on terror.’
Meanwhile, naib ameer of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Maulvi Muhammad Hashim said in a news conference in South Waziristan Agency that the government should do its utmost to provide relief to Mehsud tribesmen, who were facing immense problems.
He criticised the political agent of the agency for remaining apathetic to the people’s miseries.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2012.