WANA: The administration in South Waziristan Agency has put its weight behind the pro-government peace committee and told a tribal jirga on Wednesday that they [committee members] would continue their activities in Wana.
An official told Dawn that talks between the administration and elders of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe had reached a deadlock after the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) demanded that pro-government peace committee members should not visit the main bazaar of Wana. Following the stalemate, a curfew was imposed in the town.
The administration, however, rejected the PTM’s demand and told the jirga that it would not place a ban on the peace committee members in the area. According to some officials who attended the jirga, the peace committee had a great contribution to maintaining peace in the Wana sub-division and ruled out a ban on its activities.
Talks remained inconclusive and the jirga will meet at Scouts Camp on Thursday.
Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2018