November 24, 2008	Monday	Ziqa'ad 25, 1429

PESHAWAR, Nov 23: A tribal jirga, organised by Jamaat-i-Islami here at Al Markaz-i-Islami on Sunday, demanded of the government to act upon joint resolution of the parliament and stop military operation in Bajaur and other parts of the tribal areas.

More than 1,000 elders and workers from seven agencies and six Frontier Regions of Fata attended the jirga. Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Sirajul Haq and other leaders of the party also attended the jirga.

A joint declaration released at the concluding session of the jirga alleged that 10,000 people including women and children had been killed in the military operations in Fata and Swat district. It said that 18,000 civilians had been wounded or maimed while 15,000 houses had been demolished.

More than 1.2 million people had displaced because of the military operations in the region.

The jirga through a unanimous resolution condemned army action in Fata and demanded of the government to act upon joint resolution of the parliament.

The government, the resolution said, should resolve the issue through negotiations with the stakeholders.

The declaration said that presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan was the main cause of the worsening situation in Fata and settled parts of NWFP therefore Nato and Isaf forces should leave Afghanistan.

The government, it said, should take measures to halt US missile attacks in the tribal area.

The jirga asked the government to end cooperation with the US and change policies of Musharraf government. It demanded compensation to affected families and rehabilitation of the displaced families.

Tribal elders asked the government to abolish Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) and introduce Shariat laws in Fata. They also sought amendments in the 1973 Constitution to transfer powers of the president regarding Fata to the parliament.

They asked the government to curtail powers of the political agents and conduct local body elections in Fata. The jirga also proposed extension of the Political Parties Act, 2002 to the tribal region and lifting ban on political parties’ activities in the area.