DERA GHAZI KHAN: Militants set machinery belonging to a road construction company on fire and abducted two drivers near the Punjab-KP border on Sunday.

Elders of the Qaisrani tribe held a jirga (tribal council) on Monday and condemned the incident.

The incident occurred near Tirman where construction of a road linking two villages is going in the border area falling under the Wahowa police station of Taunsa tehsil. Unknown militants torched the construction machinery and kidnapped two drivers.

Speaking at the jirga, Qaisrani tribe elder Mir Badshah Khan Qaisrani announced that a grand jirga of all tribal chiefs and elders would be called soon for collective decisions regarding safety of the tribesman and protection of Punjab- KP provincial boundary.

He said a delegation of tribal elders would be sent to have negotiations with neighboring tribal elders of Ustrana Pashtoons of KP regarding the infiltration of `unlawful elements’

District Police Officer Syed Ali said the Qaisrani tribes had announced to stand by the law enforcement agencies against militants and they would hold joint Jirga of all tribes of Sulaiman range. He said liaison of LEAs with local tribesmen would further strengthen the protection of provincial boundary against unlawful intrusions.

The DPO said during previous months police and other LEAs had jointly repulsed more then 10 attacks and killed at least eight militants.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2025