Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: A grand Jirga of the Sheikhmalkhel sub-tribe of Shinwari held on Monday in Landikotal collectively rejected an unauthorized mining contract, threatening resistance if the Sheikhmalkhel tribe-owned minerals were leased without their consent.
A large number of local elders and youth from the Mazikhel and Alamkhani tribes of Sheikhmalkhel attended the jirga. The elders unanimously rejected the unauthorized lease agreement on the Sheikhmalkhel land and mountains. Elders including Haji Gohar Ali Shinwari, Malak Shakirullah, Malak Ihsanullah Shinwari, Malak Abdul Malik, and Aman Ali Shinwari emphasized that all tribesmen have the right to common resources. They stated that not only a person but all Sheikhmalkhel tribesmen were the owners of their common properties and assets.
They asserted that decisions regarding the collective land and mountains couldn’t be made by any single person, group, or faction without comprehensive community involvement.
The elders said a few persons from their tribe had allegedly held secret meetings with contractors to sign a lease deal for the minerals. The elders said they would not allow anyone to plunder the poor tribesmen’s money.
Haji Gohar Ali stated that a company and fake contractors were trying to make a secret deal bypassing the Sheikhmalkhel tribe elders and influentials.
He demanded that local authorities take action against such fraudulent agreements and arrest those who want to misuse their tribe’s collective assets. He said a secret deal would be opposed, and they would not allow the contractor to work in their mountains.
Malak Ihsanullah Shinwari vehemently rejected any unauthorized leasing agreements, condemning the actions of companies and contractors attempting to exploit their resources.
Ihsanullah said such possible deals, conducted without involving the community elders, would undermine the rights of the entire tribe and would be equivalent to theft.
The elders demanded that the Khyber Deputy Commissioner and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mineral Department intervene, stating that a few individuals had engaged in fraudulent papers that went against the tribe’s interests.
The tribal leaders expressed their intention to form a representative council or committee through mutual consultation, which would be empowered to make decisions on behalf of the tribe. They declared that any agreements made without the approval of their tribal council would be unacceptable to the community. They threatened that those who started work in their mountains would be stopped by force
