KHYBER: Some delegates have voiced reservations about the final declaration of the recent Pakhtun Jirga organised by the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement here, insisting almost all selected 80 attendees unanimously rejected at least two points.

The jirga began in Jamrud tehsil on Oct 11 and concluded on Sunday.

Three delegates told Dawn on condition of anonymity that PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen’s proposal for the formation of a tribal lashkar, comprising 30,000 volunteers from every tribal district, was turned down during consultations.

They insisted that the delegates, from different political parties and professional organisations, also rejected the idea of establishing a permanent secretariat of the jirga at its venue prior to approval of the final declaration.

Delegates insist they didn’t endorse points regarding tribal lashkar, jirga secretariat

The delegates pointed out that the two rejected proposals were added to the final declaration by Mr Pashteen without consulting the other delegates.

They insisted that the jirga organisers and delegates had agreed to sign the document after its finalisation, but the PTM chief personally wrote the final declaration before releasing it without obtaining signatures from the delegates.

Insiders claimed that representatives of some mainstream political parties had objected to the two “controversial” proposals and informed their top leaderships about their inclusion in the final declaration.

They added that those members of political parties also intended to reach out to the PTM leadership to convey their reservations.

However, Barkat Afridi, a delegate from Khyber tribal district, rejected the assertion and insisted that all 80 delegates discussed almost all suggestions threadbare before the final declaration was drafted after their approval and announced by PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen.

He told Dawn that the word lashkar was not used for those to be tasked with implementing the jirga declaration and help resolve local disputes.

Mr Afridi said that the proposal for selecting 30,000 volunteers from every region came in light of fears about the lack of sustainability of the jirga process and the implementation of the proposals.

He added that all proposals forwarded by the delegates were shared with the audience on the final day of the jirga, while suggestions were included in the final declaration only after their unanimous approval by the delegates.

“How can the jirga recommend the formation of an armed lashkar when the very theme of convening the jirga was to bring lasting peace to the Pakhtun belt?”

Mr Afridi, a local Kukikhel tribesman, claimed that those who spread the fake news of laskhar disapproval by the delegates were actually the detractors of the jirga.

He also told Dawn that the establishment of the permanent jirga secretariat at the site of the three-day gathering was just a proposal, which would be further discussed afterward.

“A final decision about the jirga secretariat will be made only after all delegates reach a consensus on it,” he said.

Mr Afridi also pointed out that the Kukikhel tribe was ready to provide its collective land for the purpose if a formal demand was made to it.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2024