Tribal Jirga demands release of arrested clansmen

GHALLANAI: Tribesmen at a jirga held at Ambar tehsil on Sunday demanded release of their clansmen who were arrested under the collective responsibility section of the Frontier Crimes Regulations after a blast in Mohmand Agency two weeks back.

Elders and ulema including Maulana Gulab Noor, Maulana Muhammad Nasim, Maulana Omar, Malik Izzat Khan, Malik Shamsur Rehman and others and a large number of tribesmen held a meeting.

They expressed concern over the arrest of tribesmen after the blast in Shati Mena and asked the government to release them as most of them were the sole breadwinners of their families. The elders said that these innocent tribesmen were behind bars for the last two weeks. They asked the political administration to stop arresting tribesmen after terror incidents in their areas. The elders also asked the administration to restore mobile networks, lease mines with the consent of respective tribes, cancel of leases of non-local contractors and provide, construct schools and health centres in their areas. They also demanded weapons to the tribesmen for the protection and lift ban on motorcycle riding in the area.

The Jirga constituted a 33-member committee to take up these issues with the administration and find a peaceful solution to their problems. They announced to convene another jirga on next Sunday to devise the future line of action.