Blood feuds disturbing law and order in KP

PESHAWAR: Violent blood feuds have claimed hundreds of lives over the last few years while innumerable blood feuds are still threatening peace in different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa particularly the provincial capital.

Though the KP Police face challenges of terrorism, street crimes and increasing drug addiction, the hundreds of enmities across the province also pose a serious threat to the law and order.

Some of the groups involved in these enmities roam in urban, rural and suburban towns with several armed guards. In a bid to show off, individuals from different groups escorted by armed guards post their videos on social media, which is an alarming trend.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, blood feuds claim hundreds of lives every year. The gun culture is taking its toll on society as people tend to resort to violence to settle disputes with little regard for the law.

In some places, jirgas and other alternative dispute resolution forums, including dispute resolution councils, seem to be ineffective. For many of the jirga members, it has become a source for personal gains, causing damage to one of the most effective bodies that used to settle mutual disputes without involving police and courts.

The situation has resulted in an increase in violence during enmities. In some incidents, many family members were killed in a single attack. Recently, a woman and her three children were killed allegedly by the rivals outside their home in Shahpur. The family has been seeking justice for the last few weeks.

Besides, eight people of a family, all women and children, were killed in Badaber a few weeks back over a monetary dispute between cousins. Youngest of the victims was an eight-month-old infant while the oldest one was an ailing bedridden woman. The accused are said to have been arrested.

Four people lost lives in one single incident in Daudzai. These incidents shocked the people asking the government, police and society at large to play a role to end hundreds of feuds posing a serious threat to the law and order in KP.

Some enmities have been lingering on for decades. The groups involved in these feuds are promoting gun culture besides terrorising the common people by brandishing arms in public.There are reports that some of these armed groups traveling in several vehicles within the city are actively involved in crimes, supporting and facilitating criminals, land grabbing and harassing innocent people by brandishing weapons. They are being supported by local influential families, politicians and individuals in an effort to use them for their own purposes in case of need.

Most of these enmities are caused by property, money or family disputes or mere ego issues. In most of the cases, it starts from a small piece of land and both the parties have to sell several acres later to arrange for the expenses in the coming years. Besides, other causes of the feuds are women, ego and petty issues that have been going on for years.

In many areas people want police and government to make dispute resolution councils (DRCs) and public liaison committees (PLCs) active. The people want honest jirga elders with a good reputation to help settle the enmities. Mostly people with vested interests were added to DRCs and PLCs by the then DSPs and SHOs who are not only ineffective and absent but also use these forums for personal gains.

Apart from involving and supporting jirgas of elders with good reputation, the active role of DRCs set up all over KP and police action against those threatening law and order can help improve the situation.