KOHAT: Sunni and Shia elders from Hangu and Kohat districts on Monday called for sectarian harmony to neutralise the attempts at destabilising the country.

They made the appeal at a peace jirga convened by commissioner Kohat division Musarrat Hussain.

The jirga was attended among others by former chief justice of Peshawar High Court Syed Ibne Ali, divisional chairman of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat Javed Ibraheem Paracha, Khateeb of Hangu Javed Ahmad Jawadi, district police officers of Kohat Javed Iqbal and Hangu Ehsanullah Khan, DIG Kohat region Awal Khan and District Nazim Kohat Naseem Afridi.

Speaking on the occasion, Ibne Ali called for upholding the peace agreements reached in 2009 by both the sects. He said keeping the sectarian issue alive for vested interest would keep the region backward, calling for coordination among the army, the administration, different religious sects and people at large to ensure peace.

“Nobody wants to kill or be killed or burn the shops and houses of each other therefore we have to keep a watchful eye on the foreign elements which mingle with us on occasions like Muharram.”

Ibraheem Paracha lamented that earlier the chief secretary or the chief minister used to call the peace jirgas during Muharram, but now due to their apathy the commissioner was assigned the job.

He said the Sunni community had no reservations against Shias taking out processions, but only demanded that the Kohat-Hangu Road should not be closed so commuters could continue their journeys uninterrupted.

He clarified that there was no Shia-Sunni strife and insisted that it was an international conspiracy against army, law enforcement agencies and the people of Pakistan.

He said entry of people into Hangu and Kohat from Orakzai and Kurram Agencies should be stopped during Muharram.

Commissioner Musarrat Hussain called for sectarian harmony to defeat their common enemy. He exhorted both the sides to give space to each other. He said if anybody had concerns about violations of agreements he should approach the local administration.

DIG Awal Khan stressed that keeping peace was the mutual responsibility of all the stakeholders.

Meanwhile, Ibne Ali representing Shia community and Javed Ibraheem Paracha on behalf of the Sunnis expressed anguish over the late arrival of the administration officials in the jirga.

They said it was evident from the attitude of the officials that they were least interested in maintaining security during Muharram.

The two elders were about to walk out of the jirga when the commissioner invited them to the stage to sit besides him.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2017