By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
KHYBER: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi on Saturday ruled out the possibility of any new military operation or drone attacks in the province, vowing to safeguard the rights of the tribal people and ensure peace and development in the merged districts.
He was addressing a grand “Peace Jirga” held in Bara tehsil of Khyber district, which turned into a massive public gathering organized by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber chapter.
The jirga was attended by a large number of political and social leaders, parliamentarians, tribal elders, and thousands of people from different parts of the merged districts.
Those present on the stage included MNA Iqbal Afridi, MPA Abdul Ghani Afridi, MPA Muhammad Adnan Qadri, Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi, Senator Pir Noorul Haq Qadri and other notable figures from Khyber district.
The chief minister said that the tribal people had faced militancy and military operations for several years and had rendered enormous sacrifices for the country’s peace and stability. He said that the time had come to recognize their sacrifices and give them their due rights.
Sohail Afridi said that during the PTI government, there would be no military operations or drone attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adding that all major decisions would be made in consultation with public representatives and tribal elders rather than behind closed doors.
“I will fight to the last for the rights of the tribal districts,” he said, adding that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and security forces had shed their blood for peace and would not allow anyone to destabilize the region again.
He demanded that the federal government immediately release Rs 550 billion in arrears owed to the tribal districts and Rs 2,200 billion in net hydropower dues to prevent development projects from coming to a halt. He said the promises made to the tribal people at the time of the merger had not yet been fulfilled, and the sense of deprivation among them was growing.
The chief minister announced that after Khyber, similar peace jirgas would be organized in all tribal districts, culminating in a grand Loya Jirga to devise a collective strategy for lasting peace and development in the region.
“We do not want charity, we want our rightful share,” he said. “As long as I hold this office, I will continue to fight for the protection of the people’s constitutional and financial rights.”
During his address, the participants raised slogans of “Saada Haq Aithe Rakh” (Give us our rights) to express their resolve to continue the struggle for justice and equality.
