KHYBER: A jirga of tribal elders and representatives of political parties on Wednesday opposed any military operation in any part of the Khyber district, and called upon the security agencies to fulfill their responsibilities of restoring peace to the region.

The jirga met here to discuss the two-point agenda about restoration of peace and recovery of missing persons.

A statement issued after the meeting said the participants unanimously reminded the law enforcement agencies of their responsibility to maintain law and order as the tribesmen were not willing to shoulder the responsibility.

The statement said none of the Bara and Tirah tribes was in favour of a military operation and search operations in their region.

It observed that over 90,000 families had to flee their homes for fear of militants’ onslaught, and suffered huge losses during their decade-long displacement.

The jirga participants underscored that the returning families desired lasting peace and rehabilitation of their damaged infrastructure.

They demanded a commission to probe the disappearance of a number of locals during last few years.

Meanwhile, residents in Malagori sub-tehsil of Jamrud have demanded provision of textbooks to students of government schools in their area.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, they said only 40 per cent of students had so far received textbooks.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2022