PESHAWAR:
In a historic move to end decades-long blood feuds, Peshawar is set to create its first-ever Enmity Resolution Desk, a platform designed to tackle legacy rivalries and curb the pervasive gun culture.
Some areas of Peshawar, including Badhaber, Urmar, Matani, Tehkal, Shahpur and Chamkani, have been the scene of violent rivalries for decades, costing hundreds of lives. In some regions, entire generations have paid the price of their vengeance in human lives, leaving deep scars that still persist today.
The newly established office will bring together experts from the Department of Criminology, the 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 through social, religious and humanitarian perspectives.
Arsala Khan of Badhaber, whose family lost 17 members due to persistent feuds, told The Express PK Press Club: “At a time when we should have been holding pens, we were forced to pick up weapons. Over the past seven years we have had to leave the city. A few minutes of anger destroyed our family, forcing us into fear and exile, living every year with the threat of another murder.
SP Cantt Peshawar Abdullah Ehsan said the Enmity Resolution Bureau, the first of its kind in the city, will provide a clear and effective framework to resolve 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 Dr Mian Saeed of CCPO Peshawar, the office will go beyond paperwork. It will serve as a practical platform to heal hurting families, promote dialogue, and replace guns with conversation. “If influential segments of society unite behind this effort, the day is not far when Peshawar will see peace rather than strife, and trust will replace fear,” he said.
City residents are cautiously optimistic that children growing up in the shadow of rivalry could inherit peace rather than hatred, and that Peshawar’s streets will witness examples of reconciliation rather than funeral processions.
