TIMERGARA, Aug 15: Tension prevailed in the Maidan area of Lower Dir after negotiations between a local jirga and the Taliban failed to make any headway, sources told Dawn.

Several jirgas have so far held talks with the local Taliban to convince them to leave the area, but they did not reach any conclusion, local people said.

The local people had captured two members of the Taliban in the area the other day when they had came to the Kumbarr bazaar to buy food and other items. They had also seized guns from them. Later, a local jirga had decided to set them free with a warning to the Taliban to leave the area within 24 hours, otherwise the local people would not hesitate to fight with them, a jirga member said.

Residents said 70 to 80 Taliban had taken shelter in the house of a local person in the Kolal Dherai area of Maidan some days ago. They said eight to 10 of them used no masks and the rest covered their faces when they patrolled the area. Two days ago, the locals decided to expel the Taliban from the area.

The people formed a jirga to negotiate with the Taliban to persuade them to leave the area. The jirga agreed to give ‘safe passage’ to them, but the Taliban rejected the offer and insisted on staying in the area, the local people said. On Friday morning again, elders of the area met the Taliban and asked them to leave, but to no avail.

Keeping in view the situation in Maidan, people formed their own army to counter terrorist activities. Under a decision of a jirga, local armed men set up “qaumi” checkposts on different roads in Maidan on Friday and started searching passengers and passersby.

The local group, the jirga said, would cooperate with the police force and the district administration in countering militancy in the area, sources said.

Local people, meanwhile, also stopped leaving the Maidan area and announced that no one would be allowed to move to somewhere else, it is learnt.

Former MPA Saeed Gul, who took part in talks with the Taliban, told Dawn that the Taliban had demanded end to the military operation in Swat and Bajaur and release of Taliban militants. He quoted the Taliban as saying that they had been sent to the area by Baitullah Mehsud and would not leave until he directed.

Meanwhile, Lower Dir District Coordination Officer Ghulam Mohammad said 220,000 displaced people of Bajaur had so far arrived in the area.

Talking to Dawn here on Friday, he said he was satisfied with arrangements made for the displaced people. He said he had visited camps set up in the district for the displaced people, adding that locals had been hospitable and engaged in relief activities.

About the Maidan situation, the DCO said the people of the area were cleverly tackling the matter on their own and soon it would be resolved. He said the situation was under control in the region.