Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi addresses a public jirga in Tehsil Bara. SCREEN GRAB
PESHAWAR:
An important jirga consisting of elders and notables of Khyber tribal district was held at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar under the chairmanship of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi.
The meeting reviewed the overall law and order situation in Khyber district and discussed in detail the problems faced by families displaced from Tirah Valley.
Addressing the jirga, the chief minister said the provincial government would not abandon the Tirah-affected and would extend all possible help to them. He said the tribal people had made huge sacrifices for the country and left behind their homes and livelihoods and these sacrifices could not be ignored.
The chief minister stated that a certain mindset did not want Pashtuns, especially tribals, to become part of the mainstream system, adding that the same mindset had not accepted their existence for the past 75 years. He said negative propaganda was launched against him soon after he was elected Chief Minister, which he described as unfortunate, but added that public support had defeated all such narratives.
He emphasized that all political parties and schools of thought in the KP were united in the view that military operations were not a permanent solution. While reiterating the desire to eliminate terrorism and restore peace, he questioned the effectiveness of repeated operations, saying decisions taken behind closed doors would not yield results if imposed on Tirah without consensus.
