DERA GHAZI KHAN: After 40 years, a joint consultative meeting of the Baloch tribal chieftains of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts was held at the Circuit House here in which they unanimously decided to work together setting aside their political affiliations for the development of the areas.

Commissioner Liaqat Ali Chatta took the chieftains of Khosa, Mazari, Qaisrani, Gorchani Khetran, Lound and other tribes into confidence on the issues related to the development of tehsil Koh Sulaiman and Rajanpur tribal areas.

The tribal chiefs -- Sardar Zulfikar Ali Khan Khosa, Sardar Tariq Mehmood Khan Mazari, Sardar Mir Badshah Qaisrani, Sardar Jafar Khan Buzdar, Sardar Haider Khan Gorchani, Sardar Aurangzeb Khan Khatran, Sardar Bahadur Khan Lound and others appreciated the commissioner’s role for taking them onboard in this regard, terming the the consultation a good initiative that should be continued.

The chiefs said in their addresses that the tribal Jirga system was a centuries-old tradition to resolve the issues between different clans and tribes of the area.

Meet after 40 years

In a joint statement issued following the meeting, the tribal chiefs and the commissioner vowed to work together for the development of Koh Sulaiman tehsil beyond any political affiliation.

Earlier, the meeting offered Fateha for the martyrs of the Border Military Police (BMP).

The commissioner, addressing the meeting, said the settlement of six Mauzazs of Koh Sulaiman tehsil had been accomplished, while boundary marking of 248 other Mauzazs had been completed.

He said the BMP personnel had been given modern weapons and vehicles to fightcrime and maintain law and order. He also appreciate the role of tribal chiefs of Koh Sulaiman tehsil. Talking to Dawn, tribal chief of Khosa tribe and former governor of Punjab, Zulfikar Ali Khan Khosa said the meeting was a good opportunity for the chiefs of different Baloch tribes to meet.

He said that despite his reservations regarding previous record of the authorities concerned of poorly implementing various development projects in the area, we discussed all aspects of uplift of Koh Sulaiman tehsil and Rajanpur tribal areas.

He added that the matter of the recruitment in the BMP and Baloch levy also came under discussion during the meeting and and suggestions in this regard by the tribal chiefs.

The chiefs of Leghari, Dareshak and Buzdar tribes did not attend the meeting due to their prior engagements, sources said. Deputy commissioners of DG Khan and Rajanpur districts, Anwar Baryar and Arif Rahim, Additional Commissioner (Coordination) Khalid Manzoor, additional deputy commissioners (Revenue) Tayyab Khan and Kashif Dogar, Political Assistants Asad Chandia and Muhammad Imran, besides officers of development-related departments were present in the meeting.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2022