LANDI KOTAL: The Kamarkhel tribe in Takhtaki area of Tirah valley on Saturday ended its boycott of polio vaccination after an official assurance about impartial investigation into a firing incident in the area a few days back.

The Kamarkhel tribesmen had refused to allow health teams to enter their area and vaccinate their children against the crippling disease after the killing of a tribesman and injuries to another in a firing incident between rival groups.

Taking notice of the boycott, Bara assistant political agent Asmatullah Wazir along with local elders went to Bagh Markaz in Tirah and held talks with the representatives of both the groups.

The groups were told in stern words that the administration would not tolerate anyone taking either law into their own hands or disrupting the polio vaccination campaign.

The officials, however, assured the rival groups that an impartial inquiry would be conducted to ascertain the actual causes of the firing incident along with bringing the culprits to book. The Kamarkhel elders then announced ending their boycott of polio vaccination and escorted health teams to their area.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2018