Ashrafuddin Pirzada
PESHAWAR: The political parties leaders and civil society members including tribal elders held a grand jirga on Thursday urged the government, police and law-enforcing agencies to take effective steps for the restoration of lasting peace and curbing target-killing and other crimes in the Bajaur tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The grand jirga held at Khar, the headquarters of the Bajaur tribal district, was attended by elders of Turkhani and Uthmankhel tribes, Ulema and leaders of political parties.
Pakistan People’s Party leader and former lawmaker Syed Akhunzada Chattan, Jamaat-e-Islami leader and ex-lawmaker Sahibzada Haroon ur Rashid, Shah Naseer Khan, Malik Gul Karim Khan, Malik Hifzur Rahman, Malik Shaheen Khan, Gul Afzal, Sirajuddin, Aurangzeb Iqilabi and others spoke on the occasion
The participants expressed concern over the prevailing lawlessness and asked the government and law enforcers to take practical steps for durable peace and sustainable socio-economic development of the district.
They said that the merger of former Fata with the province was yet to bring any positive change in the region. They said that the people of Bajaur expected that the merger of erstwhile Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would improve the law and order and socioeconomic condition of the district.
However, they said, the merger was yet to bring any visible improvement in the region. The speakers expressed concern over the increase in crime rate and asked the police to take action against the elements involved in target-killing and kidnapping incidents.
The jirga also constituted a committee to hold meetings with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary, Inspector General of Police, corps commander Peshawar, and Inspector General of Frontier Corps and apprise them of the prevailing law and order situation.
The committee would also present a charter of demands to the relevant officials to find a lasting solution to the issue of lawlessness in the Bajaur district.
