PTI reaches out to other parties for Peace Jirga

PESHAWAR: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has begun reaching out to other political forces for the Peace Jirga, slated for November 12, to end terrorism and restore peace in the province.

PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar, Asad Qaiser, Atif Khan, and others met Awami National Party provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain at Bacha Khan Markaz, Qaumi Watan Party Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao at Watan Kor, and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz provincial president and federal minister Engineer Amir Muqam at his residence in Peshawar to invite them to participate in the Peace Jirga at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on November 12.

Later, speaking at a press conference alongside Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Information Shafi Jan, Provincial Secretary Ali Asghar, PTI Peshawar Region General Secretary Sher Ali, Irfan Saleem, and Kamran Bangash, Speaker Babar Saleem Swati said that the provincial assembly had held detailed discussions on law and order for two months.

“The security situation in the province is not good. The political leadership has clearly expressed that there should be no new military operation. All parliamentarians have agreed to form a special committee, and an All Parties Conference-style Jirga has been decided,” he added.

PTI representatives will continue meetings and consultations with political leaders and members of various walks of life today.

Babar Saleem Swati, provincial government spokesperson Shafi Jan, and other PTI leaders stated that the Jirga’s recommendations would be presented to the military leadership. They said all political parties were on board, adding that the views of every political leader would be respected at the Peace Jirga.

“No one will be silenced, and the situation will be placed before everyone so that the federal government can make informed decisions. We want to bridge the gap between institutions and the people,” said Swati.

He added that after the Peace Jirga, they would meet the Corps Commander, and the Parliamentary Security Committee would finalize the Terms of Reference (TORs) to present to the chief minister. “Representatives of all political parties and other key figures will be invited to the event,” said Swati.

Responding to a question, Swati said that counter-terrorism operations had been ongoing for a long time in the province, where 123,000 police personnel and two army divisions were stationed in Waziristan.

“Our army has vast experience in fighting terrorism, but we must ask why our own people continue to suffer during operations. All political parties are pained by this situation — they too belong to this province,” he said.

Special Assistant Shafi Jan said that maintaining law and order was the provincial government’s biggest challenge. “The governor has also been invited. All political leaders will be invited to the Peace Jirga on November 12. The TORs will incorporate input from every party’s leadership. Decisions should not be made behind closed doors. Those who have borne the brunt of terrorism must be included in decision-making,” he remarked.

Ali Asghar said that the law and order situation in the tribal districts was no secret. “The party’s [founding] chairman has a clear stance that there should be no new operations. That is why we are inviting civil society, lawyers, media, and elders from all political parties to the Peace Jirga — because all these people have been directly affected by the conflict,” he said.

Sher Ali said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had suffered the most from terrorism. “None of the previous operations yielded results. Now, any decision made should be in the best interest of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We are advocating for collective wisdom,” he emphasized.