PESHAWAR, Nov 3: Caretaker NWFP Chief Minister Shamsul Mulk said on Saturday that the government would convene a grand jirga of elders of the Malakand division to discuss and work out a strategy for resolving the Swat crisis.

Talking to reporters after addressing a jirga of Upper Dir district at the Frontier House, he said the grand jirga would be convened after jirgas of seven districts completed deliberations.

Mr Mulk said he held a number of jirgas with elders of Swat district and Malakand Agency and today a jirga of notables from Upper Dir district had met him.

The jirga members were apprised of the current situation in Swat and their cooperation were sought to stop infiltration of militants in their district.

The caretaker chief minister said he would also meet elders of Shangla, Buner and Lower Dir districts to apprise them of the situation and seek their cooperation to find a solution. He said that people of Malakand were law-abiding citizens and they wanted lasting peace in the region.

In reply to a question regarding the implementation of Nifaz-i- Shariat in the Malakand division, Mr Mulk said the Sharai Nizam-i-Adl Ordinance had already been enforced in the division in 1999, but it was not delivering the desired results.

“We will look into the loopholes that marred its effective implementation,” he said.

Mr Mulk said the prime responsibility of the caretaker setup was to ensure strict implementation of laws of the land.

He said the NWFP government had taken certain measures to establish its writ in Swat. Had social and political figures played their role in maintaining the public order, there would have been no need for using force against militants, he added.

He said elders of Upper Dir had assured him that they would not allow militants to take shelter in their district. The elders were reminded of their responsibilities in the maintenance of public order. Upper Dir, the caretaker chief minister maintained, was vulnerable to militants because of its location.—APP