KOHAT/PESHAWAR  -  The Kurram Aman Jirga was held under the chairmanship of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandapur at the Kohat Commissioner House on Saturday and several important personalities and prominent leaders of the division participated in it.

The chief minister while addressing the participants of the jirga highlighted important points regarding the restoration of law and order and development in the area. He said that all institutions must work together to establish peace so that stability can be brought to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially Kurram Agency.

As the death toll from ongoing tribal clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district continued to rise despite ceasefire attempts, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur emphasised the need for establishing peace in the area as he ordered authorities to demolish dugouts of rival tribes and seize their weapons.

The provincial chief executive issued the directives during the grand jirga.

The latest spell of violence, now entering its tenth day, has claimed at least 124 lives and injured 178 others as two more individuals lost their lives and 10 others sustained injuries in the overnight firing.

The recent episode of clashes began eight days ago with ambushes on two separate convoys under police escort, resulting in 52 deaths on November 21. Since then, violence between the warring factions has escalated, with police struggling to maintain control.

The Kurram region is facing a communication blackout, with mobile and internet services suspended and educational institutions closed.

MNA Shehryar Khan Afridi, Provincial Law Minister Aftab Alam Advocate, Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Inspector General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, Commissioner Kohat Division Syed Mutasim Ballah Shah, Chief Justice Peshawar High Court Retired Syed Ibne Ali, MPA Kohat Shafi Jan, MPA Dawood Afridi, Deputy Commissioner Kohat Abdul Akram, and all parliamentarians of Kohat Division also participated in this jirga. This jirga was an important occasion in which various aspects of peace and development were discussed in detail, and emphasis was placed on developing a unified strategy to solve the problems of the region.

Addressing the jirga, the Chief Minister directed law enforcement agencies to treat any individual disrupting peace as a terrorist and said that the security forces are deployed in the area on the request of the provincial government to restore peace. He added that security forces, police and civil administration are making coordinated efforts to restore complete peace in the district.

The CM instructed concerned authorities to dismantle all the bunkers in the area without discrimination and urged federal government to deploy additional FC personnel to support peace initiatives.

He also directed the jirga to remain active in the area until complete peace is restored and assured them full support from the provincial government.

KP CM stressed upon local community to identify those responsible for disturbing peace and urged tribal elders to play their role in fostering harmony between rival groups. He directed the concerned administration to collect heavy weapons from the local population and also temporarily collect the arms from residents of border areas.

“Anyone who takes up arms will be treated as a terrorist and their fate will be that of a terrorist” the Chief Minister warned. He assured that funds would be released on a priority basis for the temporary displaced families and pledged the dignified return of all internally displaced persons (IDPs).

He stressed that violence and conflict are not solutions to any problem highlighting the importance of dialogue and negotiations in resolving disputes. “In line with Pashtun traditions, we are making every effort to resolve this issue peacefully through the jirga,” he added. He said that both the sides should cooperate with the administration and jirga to ensure sustainable peace which is in the best interest of both the region and the government as well.

Members of  National Assembly Shehryar Khan Afridi, Hamid Hussain and Yousuf Khan, provincial cabinet members including Aftab Alam Khan Afridi, Pakhtoon Yar Khan, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, MPA, Shafi Jan, Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, Additional Chief Secretary Home and Tribal Affairs Muhammad Abid Majeed, and other relevant officials also attended the jirga.