 |
| |
WEEKLY
SECTIONS |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Inclusion of 25 Mohmand Agency villages in Charsadda |
|
|
|
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Jirga decides to cultivate poppy in protest
Syed Bukhar Shah
PESHAWAR: To protest against the inclusion of 25 Mohmand Agency villages into District Charsadda, a tribal Jirga unanimously decided to cultivate poppy on 5,000-Jirab land between Michni and Parang Ghar.
More than 300 elders from Tarakzai, Halimzai, Baran Khel, Essa Khel and Utmankhel tribes in Mohmand Agency gathered at the Hujra of a local leader Professor Ayaz and announced to block Peshawar-Bajaur Road on November 5 for acceptance of their demands.
The tribal Jirga reiterated to continue movement till the acceptance of their demands. It was also decided to destroy all the standing poppy crops under the command of the political agent if the government re-includes their 25 villages in Mohmand Agency.
The Jirga appealed to the government to treat the tribesmen as equal citizens of Pakistan instead of considering them as 'slaves'. "We and our forefathers had been rendering great sacrifices for Pakistan and will do so in future," said Professor Ayaz.
Giving details of the Jirga, the aging professor observed that the 400,000 tribesmen had been pushed to the wall. "Our fundamental human rights are being trampled. We are being treated like slaves. We are not slaves, nor we want to live like slaves. We have been protesting since long but nothing practical was done for the solution of our problems and that was why we have decided to cultivate poppy and block the road for acceptance of our demands. We have taken this decision under compulsion to protest against the injustices of the government," he said.
The residents of 25 villages including Tarakzai, Halimzai, Baran Khel, Essa Khel, Utman Khel tribes are living here for the last more than 800 years. The entire population was living a peaceful life under their own customs and traditions but the former NWFP chief minister Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan included their 25 villages in district Charsadda on 2.4.1999. Since then, the residents of these villages have been protesting against the government's decision.
Prof Ayaz said during the last eight years of resistance movement, our people had been cooperating with the political authorities and did not cooperate with the district government Charsadda. According to him, the law and order situation bad become worse with the deployment of police. Murder, kidnapping for ransom, robberies, he said, were order of the day.
The lives and properties of citizens are not secure. Police and FC have confined their duties only to their routine check-up. Before this, only two Khassadars and one tehsildar were maintaining the law and order situation but now 6,000 police constables and FC could not control the situation, Ayaz remarked.
"We have decided to welcome Political Agent and destroy all the poppy crop if the government accept our demand and include our 25 villages in Mohmand Agency," said Professor Ayaz, but, he added, we will resist the government if it tried to use force against us.
Severely criticising the DCO Charsadda for holding a meeting with some people from Mohmand Agency, professor termed such people as agents of "British Khans". He asked the district administration to stop interference in their tribal areas reminding them that the district administrator could not run the affairs of their area even for one day without the political authorities.
|
|
|
| Back
| Send
this story to Friend | Print
Version |
|
|
CJ says good governance being compromised
By Sohail Khan
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Tuesday that good governance is being compromised as it is believed that the administration of justice is the sole duty of courts or the legal fratern more |
|
|
Hakimullah dies of wounds in Multan?
By Mushtaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR: Reports about the death of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud once again started circulating on Tuesday and this time it was being reported that the militant commander had succumb more |
|
|
MNAs seek solution to Sindh-Punjab water rift
ISLAMABAD: Members of the National Assembly on Tuesday urged for the resolution of the water crisis between Punjab and Sindh, failing which would lead to serious repercussions for the country.
Yousuf Tal more |
|
|
Good governance hinges on change in national behaviour: PM
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that change in the collective behaviour of the nation is necessary for the promotion of good governance. He said that his government believed in streng more |
|
|
NIC made mandatory to get sugar from USC outlets
ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Tuesday made it mandatory to produce national identity cards to get a pack of 2kg sugar from the USC outlets.
The ECC met here unde more |
|
|
|
Three provinces to hold LG polls in four months
By Hanif Khalid & Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: A high level meeting here on Tuesday at the Aiwan-e-Sadr decided that the chief ministers of Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan would hold local government elections in four months.
President Asif Al more |
|
|
|
Senators condemn attack on Sh Rashid
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Senators on Tuesday strongly condemned the murder attempt on Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members advised Sheikh Rashid to stop more |
|
|
|
PIA obliges religiously; latest being religious minister
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), facing a mind-boggling loss of about Rs70billion, has quietly upgraded two seats of Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi and his wife fr more |
|
|
|
A brigadier without brigade has a history of thrashing
By Umar Cheema
ISLAMABAD: The basher-brigadier of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), who assaulted his professor colleague late Thursday, has a long list of such incidents on his credit as his resume is sprin more |
|
|
|
PAC settles drought money misuse
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: A special committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) probing misuse of drought funds worth million of rupees on Tuesday conveniently settled majority of charges against deputy auditor general o more |
|
|
|
NA-55 by-polls
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has urged all the political parties, including the PML-N, to withdraw from the NA-55 by-polls in favour of Sheikh Rashid.
“ more |
|
|
|
Point scoring be avoided in Rashid attack case: Shahbaz
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the Rawalpindi incident on Monday had grieved every Pakistani.
He said a joint investigation team comprising federal and provincial agencies including I more |
|
|
|
SC moved against delay in judges’ appointment
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court was moved on Tuesday against the government’s delay in the appointment of judges in the apex court and was prayed for directing the government to perform its constitutional duty by more |
|
|
|
‘74 killed in Bajaur operation’
By Hasbanullah Khan
KHAR: Security forces claimed to have killed 74 militants and injured 54 others and wrested the strategically important hilltops and areas from the insurgents during the weeklong military operation in the Mamon more |
|
|
|
Afghan unrest kills US, French soldiers
KABUL: A US and French soldiers were killed in attacks in southern and eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the alliance said.
The US service member was killed in an improvised bomb blast in southern Afghanis more |
|
|
|
Army called in for today’s Lakki by-election
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The government has requisitioned the services of the Pakistan Army to augment the police and civil security forces for conducting the NWFP Assembly by-election on PF-75 Lakki Marwat for which polling more |
|
|
|
Meeting discusses political issues
ISLAMABAD: A meeting held here at the presidency on Tuesday and presided over jointly by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani discussed political and development issues in the N more |
|
|
|
Rashid accuses PML-N of promoting criminal culture
ISLAMABAD: Head of Awami Muslim League, Sheikh Rashid, on Tuesday criticised the PML-N-led Punjab government for promoting criminal culture in Rawalpindi and the province.
Talking to a private TV channel more |
|
|
|
Briefs...
Over 64 dead in Afghan avalanches
KABUL: At least 24 bodies have been recovered and 40 other people are feared dead after avalanches swept vehicles into a ravine and trapped cars in a mountain pass overn more |
|
|
|
ISSN 1563-9479 
