Building South Waziristan: Mehsud tribe’s jirga pledges support for peace

Says it will help with development work as well

DI KHAN: The Mehsud tribe’s jirga members, including maliks, elders and religious clerics, met Pakistan Army officers in Wana of South Waziristan Agency and pledged their support for peace efforts and development work in the region.

Major General Azhar Saleh Abbasi, GOC Wana Division as well as SWA Political Agent Zafar-ul-Islam, were present at the meeting on Friday.

Abbasi told the jirga members that it is the government’s and Pakistan Army’s top priority to repatriate people from Mehsud tribe “with dignity and respect.”

He said the first phase of repatriation of IDPs has been completed. The second phase began on August 31 under which 46 villages will be rehabilitated.

The jirga members pledged their support to the government to help bring peace to the region and augment efforts for development work in SWA.

On August 31, repatriation of IDPs from Khar Gai Camp in Tank began with the joint effort of the agency’s political administration and Pakistan Army. So far 1,111 displaced families have returned to their homes. The repatriation will continue till October 1, under which 9,000 displaced families will be repatriated.

People belonging to Mehsud tribe were displaced as a result of a military offensive called Rah-e-Nijat, launched against the outlawed terrorist organisation Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in 2009. As per FATA Disaster Management Authority statistics, 790,000 people were displaced in the operation, of which 16,000 families have been repatriated so far.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2015.