MANSEHRA, Feb 22: The elders of different tribes exchanged hot words and tried to attack each other during a jirga, held in Oghi to select a place as headquarters of the newly established Torghar district.

The jirga was started at 4pm and continued till late night on Monday but the elders could not develop consensus about the district headquarters.

Beside the elders of Basikhel, Nusratkhel, Hassainzai, Akazai and Madakhel tribes, the jirga was also attended by Torghar District Coordination Officer Fareed Khan, District Police Officer Naqeebullah and other officials.

The elders exchanged hot words and tried to attack each other during the jirga but the DCO controlled the situation.

The elders of Basikhel and Nusratkhel tribes were demanding that Judbah should to be declared district headquarters of Torghar while the elders of Hassainzai, Akazai and Madakhel wanted that Kunder or Garay to should made district headquarters.

President Asif Ali Zardari issued a notification last month, changing the tribal status of Provincially Administrated Tribal Area of Kala Dhaka into a settled district of Torghar. However, the issue of district headquarters is still an uphill task for the government and five main tribes of the area. The elders of different tribes also want tehsil headquarters of their choice.

Addressing on the occasion, Fareed Khan expressed his resentment over what happened in the jirga. “If the tribes fail to settle the issue of district headquarters amicably the government will be left with no other option but to take its own course,” he said.

He said that government provided an opportunity to people to end the centuries-old sense of deprivation and backwardness so they should show flexibility to settle the issue of district headquarters.