Bajaur Agency unrest: Mamond operation delayed on jirga’s request

Tribal elders pledge support; resolve not to allow militants, sympathisers to stay.

KHAR:

Security forces delayed a targeted operation in Bajaur Agency’s Mamond tehsil on the request of a grand jirga on Tuesday. MNA Haji Bismillah Khan, Political Agent Abdul Jabbar Shah, Sector Commander Brigadier Ghulam Haider and a large number of tribal elders from Mamond tehsil participated in the jirga held in Khar, the headquarters of Bajaur Agency. The jirga decided that the tribesmen displaced from Mamond in anticipation of the operation will return home and a pro-government militia will take action against militants in their areas.

Brig Ghulam Haider told the jirga that the security forces respect the tribesmen who play their role in maintaining peace in the agency. “The tribesmen have sacrificed their lives for peace in the area but militants and their sympathisers want to disrupt peace,” he said. “After an increase in militant attacks on security forces, we decided to launch a surgical operation [in the area].”

The jirga has decided to have their area searched and will cooperate with the security forces in eliminating militants, which is a good decision for restoring peace in Bajaur, he reiterated.

Political Agent Abdul Jabbar Shah also admired the sacrifices of the tribesmen, saying that Bajaur has seen a difficult time due to Taliban militancy. “Now it is for the jirga to decide either they maintain peace or give space to militants in their area.”

The tribal elders assured the security forces that they will strengthen peace lashkars in the area and will cooperate with them to maintain peace. They also promised that they will not allow militants or their sympathisers in the area and whoever was found guilty will be punished according to tribal customs, for example, torching of their homes or expulsion from the area.

The elders also said they will reorganise their old peace committee and start patrolling the Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas with the security forces. “We will maintain peace in our respective areas under the collective responsibility clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR).”

Later, on the request of the jirga, the security forces announced a delay in the targeted operation.

The administration also announced that around 4,000 IDPs evacuated from from five villages – Ghakhay, Kitkot, Naktar, Gohati and Mula Kallay – can go back to their homes as the operation was postponed.

On Thursday, another grand jirga, with political administration officials and security forces, will be convened in Lagharai area of the agency in which security officials will hand over the names of suspected militants to the pro-government militia who will then take action according to tribal customs.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2014.