“Talks Or March”: KP Leadership Signals Showdown Over Drone Strikes And Tribal Rights

(MENAFN- Tribal News Network) A grand jirga held at the Chief Minister's House under the chairmanship of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi made key decisions regarding ongoing drone strikes, deteriorating law and order in the province, and the financial and constitutional rights of the tribal districts.

Participants of the jirga strongly condemned the killing of women, children, and elderly people in drone strikes and called for immediate negotiations with all relevant stakeholders. In response, the Chief Minister announced that negotiations would be given another chance.

He stated that, in light of the jirga's recommendations, a smaller jirga would be formed to hold talks with the federal government and other concerned parties.

The Chief Minister warned that if the negotiations fail, a march towards Islamabad would be launched and would continue until peace is achieved.

In his address, he announced that practical steps would be taken immediately to stop drone strikes. He emphasized that the public must play its role in establishing peace in the tribal districts, adding that without public action, the dream of peace would remain unfulfilled.

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He also expressed concern over the alleged mistreatment of jirga participants at checkpoints, stating that such behavior is creating unrest and resentment among the public.

The Chief Minister said that the provincial cabinet had decided in its first meeting to repeal the Action in Aid of Civil Power law, yet 970 individuals are still detained in various detention centers, and details about them are not being shared with the provincial government.

He further noted that despite 22 major military operations and over 14,000 intelligence-based operations in recent years, lasting peace has not been achieved, which is alarming. He claimed that if the same resources were handed over to the provincial government, peace could be ensured within 100 days.

On financial rights, he stated that at the time of FATA's merger, an annual allocation of Rs. 100 billion was promised for the merged districts. However, out of the pending Rs. 800 billion, only Rs. 168 billion has been released so far. He added that including the population of merged districts could increase Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's share in the NFC from 14.6% to 19%.

The grand jirga was attended by elected representatives of tribal districts, elders, senators, opposition members, religious scholars, and notable figures, who agreed to continue a joint struggle for peace, financial rights, and constitutional powers in the province.

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