A grand Uthmanzai Wazir Jirga comprising of Sixty four tribal elders have accelerated their efforts for diffusing the current worsening security situation in the restive North Waziristan Agency and after meeting the Core Commander Peshawar and Governor KPK, last Friday, arrived back to the agency the other day. According to the elders of the Jirga their meetings with the higher ups’ of administration remained very positive as certain encouraging signals were passed on to them.
Their separate meetings with the Governor and Core Commander Peshawar were part of their planned schedule as they had several meetings within the agency in the past few weeks wherein they discussed the current situation in the agency with the senior officials of local political administration.
Few elders of the grand Jirga are expected to meet certain important commanders of local militants by today evening at an undisclosed location in North Waziristan Agency and they will discuss the prevailing volatile security situation with them. Also they will place the demands of the higher authorities of FATA, Core Commande Peshawar and Governor KPK, in front of them.
The participant elders of the jirga, supported by the successor of Faqir of Apee Haji Sher Mohammad, have said that the focus of the authorities remained on one point that is to expel all foreign militants from the agency within two weeks otherwise they have to face the music. The authorities, according to them, consider these very insurgents as main factor in deteriorating the situation in the agency.
The grand Jirga is trying its level to take the unpleasant circumstances of the agency towards a peaceful diffusion of crisis however at the same time they are confronted with a big challenge of whether they would be able to evacuate the area from foreign militants within the specified time period or all their efforts will go in vain.
Director Research Fata Research Center Islamabad, Mansoor Khan Mehsud, while expressing his views over this challenge said that all quarters of the agency favor the evacuation of these non state actors, foreign militants, from the agency but the specified time for its achievement is very short. “To me it seems’ very odd that the people would be able to drive out all non-sate elements form their areas within this specified time period. I think this would have become possible if the time given was extended”.
Professor Mohib Wazir is with the view that the locals should extend their full support to the government at this critical moment and get rid of the insurgents which will eventually let the people to live peacefully. “Thought the given time is very short but it is not impossible for the people to achieve the set objective as, what i believe, all depends upon the determination of the people”.
According to the Prof. Wazir when it comes to the determination of the locals and their trust upon Jirga, the Jirga elders becomes very confident in taking decisions and this is the positive feature of Jirga and its effectiveness in defusing crisis.
He urged the people of the agency to join hands with the government in achieving a common objective and according to him it is not an impossible task despite having hurdles and difficulties.
Professor Khadim Hussain while expressing his views on the issue said that government is expecting an unusual achievement from the tribal people. According to him what the government failed to achieve in fourteen years has now been expected from tribals in just fourteen days.
“The demand by the security establishment to expel all the foreign militants in fourteen days does not appeal to minds as this task is not that much easy as it has been taken”, said Prof. Hussain.
While giving explanations he elaborated further that the reason being is that the tribal people do not enjoy powers of decision making in the affairs of the agency rather it rests with the area militant commanders.
“It is the area militant commander to decide about the fate of the locals and the militants living there, how you are expecting this unusual task from tribal people who are in fact at the mercy of the militants”, said Prof. Hussain.
It is interesting and unique in the decade long history of North Waziristan Agency that tribal elders of the agency have been putting their joint efforts under the patronage of Haji Sher Mohammad for bringing in peace and stability to a volatile region through dialogue with government and the security establishment which is a positive omen and good attempt. But what needs special attention and consideration that has been hampering the process of peace is the presence of militants in the area having much influence in the public affairs. It is very difficult to take any decision that goes against the interest of them, militants, and this very factor is feared to exacerbate the crisis further.
Will Efforts of Tribal Jirga Bear Fruit?
A grand Uthmanzai Wazir Jirga comprising of Sixty four tribal elders have accelerated their efforts for diffusing the current worsening security situation in the restive North Waziristan Agency and after meeting the Core Commander Peshawar and Governor KPK, last Friday, arrived back to the agency the other day. According to the elders of the Jirga their meetings with the higher ups’ of administration remained very positive as certain encouraging signals were passed on to them.
Their separate meetings with the Governor and Core Commander Peshawar were part of their planned schedule as they had several meetings within the agency in the past few weeks wherein they discussed the current situation in the agency with the senior officials of local political administration.
Few elders of the grand Jirga are expected to meet certain important commanders of local militants by today evening at an undisclosed location in North Waziristan Agency and they will discuss the prevailing volatile security situation with them. Also they will place the demands of the higher authorities of FATA, Core Commande Peshawar and Governor KPK, in front of them.
The participant elders of the jirga, supported by the successor of Faqir of Apee Haji Sher Mohammad, have said that the focus of the authorities remained on one point that is to expel all foreign militants from the agency within two weeks otherwise they have to face the music. The authorities, according to them, consider these very insurgents as main factor in deteriorating the situation in the agency.
The grand Jirga is trying its level to take the unpleasant circumstances of the agency towards a peaceful diffusion of crisis however at the same time they are confronted with a big challenge of whether they would be able to evacuate the area from foreign militants within the specified time period or all their efforts will go in vain.
Director Research Fata Research Center Islamabad, Mansoor Khan Mehsud, while expressing his views over this challenge said that all quarters of the agency favor the evacuation of these non state actors, foreign militants, from the agency but the specified time for its achievement is very short. “To me it seems’ very odd that the people would be able to drive out all non-sate elements form their areas within this specified time period. I think this would have become possible if the time given was extended”.
Professor Mohib Wazir is with the view that the locals should extend their full support to the government at this critical moment and get rid of the insurgents which will eventually let the people to live peacefully. “Thought the given time is very short but it is not impossible for the people to achieve the set objective as, what i believe, all depends upon the determination of the people”.
According to the Prof. Wazir when it comes to the determination of the locals and their trust upon Jirga, the Jirga elders becomes very confident in taking decisions and this is the positive feature of Jirga and its effectiveness in defusing crisis.
He urged the people of the agency to join hands with the government in achieving a common objective and according to him it is not an impossible task despite having hurdles and difficulties.
Professor Khadim Hussain while expressing his views on the issue said that government is expecting an unusual achievement from the tribal people. According to him what the government failed to achieve in fourteen years has now been expected from tribals in just fourteen days.
“The demand by the security establishment to expel all the foreign militants in fourteen days does not appeal to minds as this task is not that much easy as it has been taken”, said Prof. Hussain.
While giving explanations he elaborated further that the reason being is that the tribal people do not enjoy powers of decision making in the affairs of the agency rather it rests with the area militant commanders.
“It is the area militant commander to decide about the fate of the locals and the militants living there, how you are expecting this unusual task from tribal people who are in fact at the mercy of the militants”, said Prof. Hussain.
It is interesting and unique in the decade long history of North Waziristan Agency that tribal elders of the agency have been putting their joint efforts under the patronage of Haji Sher Mohammad for bringing in peace and stability to a volatile region through dialogue with government and the security establishment which is a positive omen and good attempt. But what needs special attention and consideration that has been hampering the process of peace is the presence of militants in the area having much influence in the public affairs. It is very difficult to take any decision that goes against the interest of them, militants, and this very factor is feared to exacerbate the crisis further.