PESHAWAR: A local court here on Thursday sent to prison on 14-day judicial remand a central leader of Pashtun National Jirga (PNJ) Malik Naseer Ahmad Kukikhel and another tribal elder Saidagha Jan, who were arrested two days ago in Khyber tribal district.

The court of additional sessions judge Murad Akmal directed that the two suspects should be again produced after completion of their judicial remand. Malik Naseer, a prominent figure of Khyber, has been charged in multiple cases in Khyber and Peshawar districts.

Presently, he has been arrested in a case registered at Peshawar’s Regi police station on Oct 9 regarding firing incident at the venue of a three-day PNJ, which had left several of the workers killed.

The organisers of the jirga including Manzoor Pashteen had accused law enforcement agencies of firing at their peaceful and unarmed workers, who were busy in making arrangements for the event. Police had registered FIR against the organisers of the jirga including Manzoor Pashteen, Malik Naseer Kukikhel and others.

Another elder Saidagha Jan was also arrested along with him in FIR registered at Regi police station

The present two suspects along with some other tribal elders were reportedly invited for a meeting with Khyber district police officer in Shakas area. However, when they came out of the meeting they were taken into custody by local police. The investigation officer requested for physical custody of the two suspects, but the court declined the request and sent them to prison.

Advocate Shad Mohammad appeared for Malik Naseer and contended that he had been charged in a concocted case at behest of government. He opposed granting their physical custody to police.

The SHO of Regi police station, Syed Islam Shah, who is complainant in the FIR, claimed that federal government had declared Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) a proscribed organisation after which police high-ups were negotiating with the leaders of the said organisation for not to hold the ‘illegal’ jirga.

However, he alleged that the leaders and their private gunners started firing at police, which resulted into injuries to several policemen whereas three other persons were killed.

Interestingly, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had also held a meeting with the leaders of PNJ and announced that provincial government would be the host of the three-day jirga from Oct 11 to 13. The chief minister had also visited the venue of PNJ.

Following their negotiations with the chief minister, the leaders of PNJ had claimed that government had assured them that the said FIR of Regi police station would be withdrawn. However, law enforcement agencies continued to arrest suspects in the said case.

Earlier, a social activist and leader of PNJ Khan Wali Afridi was also arrested in the said case and was subsequently granted bail by an anti-terrorism court.

It is pertinent to mention that Malik Naseer had also been instrumental in leading a delegation of PNJ to the troubled Kurram tribal district for negotiating a peace deal between the two warring groups there. They had stayed there for many days but later on called off their efforts, claiming that an official grand jirga had also been engaged in the matter.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2024