LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Oct 16: Heavily armed tribesmen belonging to Malik Dinkhel and Sheikh Malkhel clans positioned themselves  against each other over a dispute regarding the ownership of a hillock in Bara on Thursday.

The clans have been crossing swords over the ownership of a hillock, Sur Ghar, in Bara for the last 15 years.  

The political administration of the agency had constituted a representative Jirga with the consent of both sub-tribes to resolve their dispute. The Jirga gave its verdict two weeks back which the elders of Malik Dinkhel clan refused to accept.

The administration in a bid to calm down the situation called leaders of rival groups to the Khyber House in Peshawar on Tuesday. But the elders of Malik Dinkhel clan again refused to accept the Jirga’s verdict, which prompted the authorities to put them behind bars as per the decision of the Jirga.

Members of Malik Dinkhel clan on Thursday demolished the houses of two of their elders, Malik Daud and Shujaul Mulk.  

They also threatened to block the main Peshawar-Torkhum highway if their arrested elders were not released in the next 24 hours.