PESHAWAR: The Pakhtun Qaumi Amn Jirga, a syndicate of Pakhtun political, nationalist and religious parties, on Tuesday demanded of the government to declare enforced disappearances a crime and empower civilian institutions in tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The jirga met at the Awami National Party’s headquarters, Bacha Khan Markaz, here and discussed the emerging law and order situation in the province.

Besides the ANP’s central and provincial leadership, PML-N provincial president and adviser to the prime minister on political and public affairs Amir Muqam, PPP leader Akhunzada Chittan, Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement chief Manzoor Pashteen, Jamaat-i-Islami leader Inayatullah Khan, National Democratic Movement leader Abdullah Nangial, parents of the Army Public School students martyred in the 2014 militant attack, teachers and journalists.

ANP provincial president Aimal Wali Khan told reporters afterwards that the participants demanded of the government to grant powers to civilian institutions in tribal areas and the law-enforcement responsibility to the police.

Empowerment of civilian institutions in tribal districts also emphasised

He said that the forum also called for the criminalisation of enforced disappearances as well as the production of all ‘missing’ persons in the courts of law.

The Amn Jirga condemned the registration of FIRs against the people, who, it said, peacefully protested the resurgence of militants in Swat region and demanded their immediate withdrawal.

Mr Aimal said that police cases against peaceful protesters showed that the state and militants were on the same page against the people.

He said that the implementation of the KP Actions (in aid of civil power) Ordinance, 2019, had literally suspended the Constitution in the province and thus, increasing the incidence of the rights violation alarmingly.

The ANP leader said that torture cells were established under that law for Pakhtuns.

He claimed that the provincial chief minister, ministers, a former governor and a former National Assembly speaker had made extortion payments to militants in the province.

He said that the Amn Jirga had called such payments to the killers of Pakhtuns a national crime and state terrorism.

Mr Aimal also demanded of the government to form a parliamentary committee to probe extortion payments made by the cabinet members and PTI leaders.

He said that the targeted killing of educated Pakhtun youths in the province was common and that the culprits were later declared ‘unknown killers’, which was unacceptable to the Amn Jirga, which declared the state responsible for those killings.

The jirga also demanded of the government to immediate release MNA Ali Wazir detained one and a half years ago and said that the state’s conduct towards the lawmaker was very revengeful.

The ANP leader said that MNA Ali Wazir was a strong voice against state terrorism and that his family had been ruined by militants.

He said that the Amn Jirga hailed the recent street protests in Waziristan, Dir, Swat and Mohmand and other districts of the province against the alleged resurgence of militants and hoped that the educated youth in the region would offer strong resistance in case militants resumed activities.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2022