PESHAWAR/LAKKI MARWAT: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and Bannu Aman Jirga have agreed to convene a meeting of the provincial apex committee to discuss security-related issues on Thursday.

The decision came up during a discussion on the 16-point demands by a 40-member jirga with KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and other senior officials. The meeting that began on Monday evening and continued till the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Nasir Khan Bangash, head of the jirga, told Dawn that the provincial government agreed to all their demands, but the jirga members insisted that the issues should be taken to the provincial apex committee and its seal of approval sought. He said the provincial government agreed to this, and the apex committee’s meeting would be convened on Thursday.

Five members of the jirga would also attend the apex committee meeting, and KP Chief Minister Gandapur would visit the district on Friday.

Sit-in to continue until Friday, when CM Gandapur visits Bannu

However, Nasir Bangash said the sit-in camp would continue until Friday, when CM Gandapur visits the district. He said they were satisfied with the outcome of the jirga, and the provincial government had fully agreed with all their demands.

Regarding the issue of dismantling surrendered Taliban, the jirga chief said the district administration had already launched action against them, and arrests were being made.

KP government spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif said the jirga meeting took place at CM House, where Mr Gandapur met the committee members and discussed the Bannu district situation and militancy. He said CM Gandapur thanked the jirga for cooperating with the district administration following the violence during the peace rally.

Mr Saif said the jirga had helped establish peace in the district, for which it deserved appreciation.

The provincial apex committee would discuss all issues related to terrorism in the province and formulate a policy for restoration of law and order, he said, adding that jirga members expressed confidence in CM Gandapur and invited him to visit Bannu district.

“Chief Minister KP will visit Bannu on Friday on the invitation of the jirga,” he said, while admitting that the jirga would continue the token sit-in protest in Bannu.

Earlier, the jirga comprising local elders and representatives of protesters had presented 16 demands in their meeting with the district admi­nistration, which were subsequently forwarded to the KP government.

Demands

In their demands, the jirga sought an end to centres of Taliban militants, who had surrendered, as well as a stop to their patrols and pickets. In addition to the demand for the removal of ‘good Taliban’, the jirga said they would not accept the proposed operation, Azm-i-Istehkam, in the province in general and Bannu in particular.

It also demanded night patrols by the police and action against militants without pressure from any security agency.

Wrong picture painted

At a press conference, Bannu Aman Jirga claimed that along with activists of political and religious parties, people from all walks of life attended the march to express their long desire for peace in their area.

Members of the jirga, including Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Nasir Bangash, provincial minister Malik Pakhtoonyar Khan, and others, told a presser on Tuesday that some federal ministers and ISPR director general presented a wrong picture of the peace march.

They claimed that all participants of the march were holding white flags as a symbol of peace, adding that it had been admitted at a high level that the firing incident occurred during the peace rally.

They asked the federal ministers to avoid rubbing salt on the wounds of people and focus on restoring peace to the region. “Everyone knows who fired gunshots; therefore, we demand an open judicial inquiry by the Peshawar High Court,” they maintained.

Resolution

Malik Pakhtoonyar said he would also table a resolution on the floor of the provincial assembly to condemn the firing on peace marchers and demand a judicial inquiry into the matter. He said the provincial government had accepted the demands of the jirga and decided to convene a meeting of the apex committee.

Meanwhile, people from across the district and other areas, including Lakki Marwat, continued their protest sit-in on the fourth day.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2024