PESHAWAR:
In a historic move to end decades-long blood feuds, Peshawar is set to establish its first-ever Enmity Resolution Desk, a platform designed to tackle legacy rivalries and curb the pervasive gun culture.
Certain neighborhoods in Peshawar, including Badhaber, Urmar, Matani, Tehkal, Shahpur and Chamkani, have witnessed decades of violent rivalry that has claimed hundreds of lives. In some areas, entire generations have paid the price of revenge with human lives, leaving deep scars that endure to this day.
The newly established desk will bring together experts from the Department of Criminology, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, retired police officers, respected religious scholars and women social leaders. Their collective goal is to resolve disputes not only through legal channels but also with social, religious and humanitarian perspectives.
Arsala Khan of Badhaber, whose family has lost 17 members due to ongoing feuds, told The Express Pakinomist, “The age when we should have held pens, we were forced to pick up arms. For the past seven years, we have had to leave the city. A few minutes of anger destroyed our family and forced us to fear, and we could live with the hope of another killing every one year, when we could live a new initiative. enmity so that common people can live safely and peacefully.”
SP Cantt Peshawar Abdullah Ehsan said the Enmity Resolution Desk, the first of its kind in the city, will provide a clear and effective framework to deal with long-standing feuds. “We include credible, capable and respected individuals who will prioritize reconciliation over hatred while taking into account legal, technical, religious and local customs,” he explained.
According to Peshawar CCPO Dr. Mian Saeed the desk will go beyond the paperwork. It will serve as a practical platform to heal wounded families, promote dialogue and replace guns with conversation. “If the influential sections of society unite behind this effort, the day is not far when Peshawar will see peace instead of strife and trust will replace fear,” he said.
The city’s residents are cautiously optimistic that children growing up in the shadow of rivalry may inherit peace instead of hatred, and that Peshawar’s streets will witness examples of reconciliation rather than funeral processions.
