LANDI KOTAL: The political administration of Khyber Agency has asked the Sipah tribe of Bara to hand over 118 wanted tribesmen to it and pay Rs120 million fine for attacking a security convoy in October last.

The administration has linked fulfillment of these two conditions with announcement of a return plan for thousands of temporarily displaced families of Sipah tribe. 

Sources said that a jirga comprising elders of Sipah tribe met Assistant Political Agent Mohammad Nasir at his office in Khyber House where it was given a list of 118 wanted men. They said that the list didn’t include the names of Mangal Bagh, head of proscribed Lashkar-i-Islam, and some of his close and trusted lieutenants, belonging to Sipah tribe.  

“This time the list is totally different from the last one which the administration gave us few months ago and which included the names of Mangal Bagh and his associates among other 102 wanted men from Sipah tribe,” a source told Dawn. 

Jirga of Sipah elders refuses to pay fine of Rs120 million

He said that priorities of officials also seemed different that time as the administration had made the payment of Rs120 million fine a second priority. “Last time the administration insisted that the fine should be paid first and then the wanted men should be handed over to it,” the source said. 

He said that most of the wanted men included in the fresh list were innocent. The first list also included names of government employees, teachers and even khasadars, who were more than willing to be probed by any investigation team. 

The Sipah elders held a jirga on Tuesday to ponder over the official demands. “The jirga was unanimous to reject the government’s demand about payment of the fine, imposed on the tribe for a crime it didn’t commit,” a Sipah elder told Dawn on condition of anonymity. 

He said that no such precedent existed in any part of Fata where the entire tribe was fined for an attack on security forces. “Almost the entire Sipah territory was vacated by its residents after the start of Khyber-1 military operation on October 16 last year, so how can the government blame the displaced families for an attack on security forces in Sipah territory,” the elder questioned.

He said that except some hardcore militants, who, according to government, fled to a neighboring country after the launch of military operation, most of the wanted men mentioned in the previous list were handed over to the administration. They were cleared by the joint investigation teams after thorough questioning for over three months, he added. 

The Sipah jirga demanded of the administration to waive off the fine and announce a plan for immediate repatriation of all the displaced families of the tribe. 

Meanwhile, another jirga of Bar Qambarkhel tribe belonging to Jhutt Darra, Yago Mela and Taju villages of Tirah valley met Khyber Agency Political Agent Shahab Ali Shah on Tuesday and demanded early return of around 1,200 displaced families to their respective localities. 

The jirga apprised the political agent that with most of the displaced families returned to Bagh-Maidan and surrounding areas, they were still awaiting their return since their eviction from their houses some two and a half years back. 

Most of these families were residing in New Durrani camp in Kurram Agency and rented houses in Sadda tehsil, they said.

The political agent told the jirga that a plan had already been chalked out in that regard and they would soon be sent back to their respective areas.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2015

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