KHYBER: A jirga held under the auspices of Bara Siyasi Ittehad on Saturday outright rejected the formation of any tribal Lashkar or peace committees, while also vowing that people won’t vacate their houses on the pretext of military operations against outlawed groups.

The jirga was convened in the aftermath of the gruesome execution of Tirah traders’ union president Haji Sher Mohammad and his colleague, Ibrar Afridi, on February 4 by the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and the overall deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber.

In a joint resolution unanimously passed, the jirga reminded the law enforcement agencies that restoration of peace and safeguarding the lives of innocent people was their responsibility and that no tribe in Tirah or Bara would agree to shoulder or share this responsibility.

The resolution said that people of Tirah in particular and the rest of Khyber in general had lost faith in the ongoing military operations and so-called peace jirgas held under the official influence, and thus they had rejected the option of formation of peace committees or tribal lashkars.

It stated that the people of Khyber desired lasting peace, but they also reserved the right to ascertain the claims made about the successes achieved in the previous military operations as Tirah was still infested with ‘undesirable’ elements.

The jirga insisted that residents of Tirah were no more in favour of vacating their houses as they had suffered a lot during their last decade-long displacement, and had rebuilt their damaged houses after a hard toil since their return in 2015.

“Two of our generations have become victims of the so-called war against terrorism, while the entire infrastructure also stands destroyed with schools and hospitals still awaiting rebuilding and rehabilitation,” the resolution said, while insisting that people of Tirah were not in a position to bear any further losses.

Also in the day, local leaders of Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam-Fazl staged a demonstration in Tirah against the precarious law and order situation.

Speaking on the occasion, party’s Tirah chief Maulana Hazrat Khan alleged that the law enforcement agencies had miserably failed to expel suspected militants from the valley.

He said that those who were responsible for providing security to the people of Tirah were feeling insecure themselves and were confined to their posts while leaving the ordinary people at the mercy of banned militant groups.

He demanded of the law enforcement agencies to leave Tirah and let the tribesmen manage their own affairs.

He also demanded of the security forces to immediately vacate the local mosque where they had established a security base a few years ago.

TORKHAM PROTEST: Daily wagers and labourers held a protest demonstration at Torkham on Saturday against their harassment by the customs staff.

Holding black flags and placards in their hands, the protesting labourers chanted slogans against the customs staff and demanded non-interference in their profession.

They alleged that customs officials were unlawfully confiscating items, which they brought from Afghanistan while fulfilling legal requirements.

They threatened to block the main road if the customs staff did not stop their harassment.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2025