Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi addresses a public jirga in Tehsil Bara. SCREENSHOT
PESHAWAR:
A major jirga comprising 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 the displaced families of Tirah Valley.
Addressing the jirga, the chief minister said the provincial government would not abandon the Tirah victims and would extend all possible assistance to them. He said the tribal people had made immense sacrifices for the country, leaving behind their homes and livelihoods, and these sacrifices could not be ignored.
The chief minister said that a certain mindset did not want Pashtuns, especially the tribal people, to be part of the dominant system, adding that the same mindset had not accepted their existence for the last 75 years. He said negative propaganda was launched against him soon after he was elected as chief minister, which he termed unfortunate, but added that public support had put all such narratives to rest.
He stressed that all political parties and schools of thought in KP were united in considering that military operations were not a permanent solution. While reiterating the resolve to eliminate terrorism and restore peace, he questioned the effectiveness of repeated operations, saying decisions taken behind closed doors would yield no results if imposed on Tirah without consensus.
