KP to send jirga to Kabul after taking Centre on board: Gandapur

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced on Thursday that a Jirga would be sent to Afghanistan, after taking the federal government into confidence, to address the increasing incidents of terrorism in the province.

Talking to Geo News, CM Gandapur said KP was affected by Afghanistan, a country that had been a victim of wars for decades. KP and Afghanistan share a long border.

With authorities in Kabul reluctant to take decisive action against terrorists’ sanctuaries, militants from across the border have repeatedly targeted Pakistan’s security forces and innocent civilians.

Recently, the son of the deputy governor of Afghanistan’s Badghis province was among four terrorists killed in KP, Radio Pakistan reported.

CM Gandapur said Thursday that they would form a Jirga, comprising representatives of different tribes, to hold talks with the interim government in Kabul.

Meanwhile, Adviser to KP Chief Minister on Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said: “Peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan is interlinked.” He said they wanted peace and brotherly relations between the two countries. Both countries enjoy economic, political, and cultural relations, he said, adding that they wanted to increase the business ties between the two sides.

Sources privy to the matter said the Afghan authorities had contacted the provincial government in this regard, adding that a grand Jirga would be held after initial talks between the two sides.

Last month, the KP CM announced that he would send a delegation of tribal elders to Afghanistan for talks, saying: “The federal government has not achieved any success in talks with Afghanistan.”

“We will find a solution to the problems,” he had added. “I hope they [the Afghan side] will cooperate with our Jirga,” said the KP CM.