ISLAMABAD: In a major development, mainstream political and religious parties and civil society groups agreed on Thursday to negotiate peace with militant elements through a broadened tribal jirga earlier formed by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F.

The parties attending an all parties conference (APC) hosted by the JUI-F agreed on a five-point declaration.

“The first meeting of the grand tribal jirga, now having the backing of all the country’s main political leadership, will be held in Peshawar on Friday (today) to devise a strategy to proceed further in the light of the declaration,” JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced at the conclusion of the nine-hour conference. The APC was boycotted by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf.

It was the second APC in 14 days but more significant for its clear objective and higher-level representation than the one hosted by the Awami National Party (ANP) on Feb 14 which had also called for holding dialogue with militant groups, but failed to produce any concrete plan of action.

Reading out the declaration signed by representatives of nearly 30 political and religious parties and organisations and drafted by a committee after hectic consultations, Maulana Fazl said the existing grand jirga (comprising 17 members) would be expanded and all parties belonging to different schools of thought would have representation in it.

“Practical steps should be taken to end lawlessness and we support every process of negotiations resulting in the establishment of rule of law in the country,” says the declaration.

The declaration asked “the grand jirga to start negotiations with all stakeholders under the guidance of leaders of all political and religious parties present in the today’s APC”.

All members of the jirga attended the conference and its chief Malik Qadir Khan delivered a speech in Pashto.

In order to avoid criticism in some circles regarding the timing of the APC just two weeks before the expiry of the five-year term of the government, the participants announced that the implementation of the agreed declaration would be binding on the present government, caretaker set-up and the government and the opposition to be formed after the general election.

The declaration also called for setting up a trust for the welfare of families of those killed and injured (in terrorism-related incidents).

Maulana Fazl later told reporters that after a meeting at the JUI-F’s provincial secretariat in Peshawar the jirga members would meet the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor on Friday to seek his assistance in the implementation of the APC declaration.

Asked why the name of Taliban was not mentioned in the declaration, he said the Taliban were among the stakeholders.

“We will do whatever we can for peace,” he said when asked whether the jirga would also hold talks with the military leadership as they were also considered to be a stakeholder in the ongoing war on terrorism.

Interestingly, there was no mention of the word “terrorism” in the declaration although the JUI-F earlier declared that it had planned the APC to formulate a joint strategy to counter the menace of terrorism.

Sources said it was after an exchange of views between the JUI-F chief and representatives of the Pakistan People’s Party that the word “terrorism” had been replaced with the term “lawlessness” in the declaration.

The PPP insisted on using the term “terrorism” whereas the Maulana was of the opinion that it could annoy militants and the Taliban with whom they had agreed to hold negotiations.

“They (militants) can say that why are you talking to us when you have already declared us terrorists,” a source quoted Maulana Fazl as saying at the time of drafting the declaration.

The APC was attended by Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of the country’s nuclear programme and chief of his newly-formed Tehrik Tahaffuz-i-Pakistan, and heads of various parties including Mian Nawaz Sharif of PML-N, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain of PML-Q, Munawar Hassan of Jamaat-i-Islami, Aftab Sherpao of Qaumi Watan Party, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed of Awami Muslim League and Mehmood Khan Achakzai of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.

The MQM was represented by Dr Farooq Sattar, Tahir Mashhadi and Waseem Akhtar. The PPP delegation was led by Makhdoom Amin Fahim.

Nawaz Sharif said the government should have given a positive response to the offer for talks made by the Taliban earlier this month. He said peace was necessary even for resolving the energy crisis. Who would come for the country’s help when Chinese engineers were kidnapped, he asked.

Amin Fahim said the PPP was the biggest victim of terrorism and assured the participants that his party would support every effort for peace in the country.

Hasil Bizenjo of the National Party blamed the “state” for promoting terrorism and asked who would guarantee that the state policy would be changed after the elections. “Do you have the courage to change the country’s security and foreign policy?” he asked while pointing to the leaders of PPP, PML-N and JUI-F.

Mehmood Achakzai regretted that only four of the 280 articles of the Constitution applied to tribal areas which meant that they were still independent and not bound to follow the country’s Constitution.

He suggested that a jirga or assembly should be elected in the tribal areas so that people could take their own decisions. He called for stopping Pakistan’s interference in the affairs of Afghanistan.

Criticising the role of intelligence agencies, Mr Achakzai, whose name is also in circulation for the post of caretaker prime minister, said: “We should all go to the army, ISI and MI and ask them to please stop. Enough is enough.”

Dr A.Q. Khan asked why the media was not being given access to the tribal areas if only Taliban were being killed in drone attacks. He said the demand that militants should surrender arms before talks was not appropriate. “What weapon of bargain will they have in talks if they surrender their arms?” he asked. He said he was ready to personally visit the tribal areas to negotiate peace.

Senior journalist and anchor Salim Safi warned that the political leadership had little time to act and resolve the militancy issue. He claimed that the Taliban were planning to carry out attacks during elections. He said the tribal people had come to the political leadership for the last time and if they returned disappointed the national leaders would have no control over them.