BAJAUR: The participants of a jirga here on Thursday announced that a peace march would be held on July 30 in Bajaur tribal district.

The jirga was held in Civil Colony Khar. Elders of different areas and tribes, political and social activists and lawyers attendance the jirga. The peace march was earlier scheduled for July 18.

The leaders of traders also participated in the meeting while none of the five local lawmakers attended the jirga though they actively participated in the previous session held on July 16.

JI local emir Sahibzada Haroon Rasheed, PML-N district president Malik Gul Kareem Khan, PPP leaders Syed Akhunzada Chattan and Haji Sher Bahadar, Khar tehsil council chairman and JUI-F leader Haji Said Badshah, ANP’s Maulana Khanzeb, Malik Mohammad Akbar, Malik Asghar Khan, Malik Bahadar Shah, PTI leader and Nawagai tehsil council chairman Dr Khalilur Rahman, Bajaur Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Haji Li Shah and Malik Hifzur Rahman addressed the jirga.

The jirga was told that the peace march, meant to mobilise locals against lawlessness and growing incidents of targeted killings incidents in the district, was earlier scheduled for July 18. However, the march was postponed on the request of majority of participants of the jirga.

The jirga decided that the peace march would be held on July 30 in Khar Bazaar and all the bazaars and business centres would remain closed the district to make the march a success.

Speakers said that the proposed peace march was meant to mobilise people for maintaining the hard earned peace in the district.

Later, Maulana Khanzeb and Malik Gul Kareem Khan told journalists that the participants of the march would carry only white flags. The march will be started at 10 am on July 30.

They said that several committees comprising presidents and general secretaries of all political parties and elders were formed to finalise arrangements for the march.

They said that the committees would be also responsibility for mobilising people and convincing them to attend the march.

They said that the first meeting of the organising committees would be held on July 22 at the residence of Syed Akhunzada Chatan.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2024