Kurram Agency jirga condemns Afghan forces’ aggression

PARACHINAR: A grand jirga of the Afghan and Pakistani tribal elders has been convened here today to take stock of the situation arising out of the recent firing incident at the Pak-Afghan border.

The border with Afghanistan has been closed in Kurram Agency after the firing incident in which five security personnel were martyred and several others were injured.

The tribal elders from Kurram Agency and those from Afghanistan living near the border would attend the jirga. The tribes living in the border area on both sides have been affected by the incident as the border has been closed and trade has stopped.

Meanwhile, the residents of Kurram Agency have been protesting against the firing incident in which Afghan forces fired at Pakistani security personnel who were doing routine patrolling and making preparations for fencing the border.

In Sadda, a jirga was held wherein the tribal elders condemned the Afghan forces for firing at the Pakistan security personnel.

The Sunni and Shia elders also held a jirga in Sadda to condemn the incident.

Speaking on the occasion, tribal elders including Salim Khan, Abdul Mannan, Malik Niaz Badshah, Karnal Khan and others termed the firing by the Afghan forces as an act of cowardice and said the tribesmen had rushed to the border to fight the attackers, but they were sent back by the political administration and the security forces high-ups.

They said that Pakistan hosted Afghan refugees for decades, but Afghanistan returned the favour by spilling the blood of Pakistani people.

The jirga members maintained that the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Israeli intelligence agency Mossad were plotting to damage Pakistan’s interests in the region.