LOWER DIR: Malakand division commissioner Shaukat Ali Yousafzai said here on Tuesday that jirga system played a vital role in dispute resolution in the Pakhtun society and it must be continued in the region.

He was addressing the oath-taking ceremony of Qaumi Islahi Jirga Talash Dushkhel as the chief guest in Ziarat Talash here.

Besides the jirga members, area elders, social and political activists, Lower Dir deputy commissioner Zubair Khan Niazi, Talash tehsildar Amjad Khan, Timergara tehsil chairman Mufti Irfanuddin and other officials attended the function.

The commissioner administered the oath to the newly-elected cabinet members of the jirga. The function was also addressed by Dir Grand Jirga chairman Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, Dir Qaumi Pasoon chief Malik Jehan Alam, Qaumi Islahi Jirga president Ibrahim Khan, general secretary Dr Noor Mohammad and others.

Says it plays important role in dispute resolution

The commissioner lauded the role of jirgas for playing an important role in maintenance of peace, resolution of petty issues among citizens and bridging the gap between the government functionaries and the public in Malakand division.

He announced construction of a community hall for Talash jirga and said the area had been declared a separate tehsil and additional assistant commissioner and a tehsildar would manage it temporarily till construction of its infrastructure.

Talash Dushkhel Jirga president Ibrahim Khan said that after its formation in 1998 the jirga had resolved over 1,000 cases, including that of property disputes, blood feuds and others.

SECRETARIES’ STRIKE: The offices of village and neighbourhood councils in Lower Dir were closed on Tuesday for an indefinite period as a protest against the alleged armed attack at the behest of a provincial minister on the office of director general of Local Government and Rural Development Departmentin Hayatabad, Peshawar, on Dec 24.

Assistant director Amir Nizam and All Secretaries Village Councils Association, Lower Dir, president Salahuddin Khan told mediapersons that over 50 armed people allegedly backed by provincial minister Iqbal Wazir had attacked the office on Dec 24 and held hostage over 100 employees of the LG&RD.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2022