Dispute resolution: Elders welcome formation of councils in Bajaur

KHAR: A jirga of elders of the Turkhani and Uthmankhel tribes on Thursday welcomed the formation of councils to resolve disputes among the people before moving courts in the district.

Bajaur Deputy Commissioner Usman Mahsud, Nawagai Assistant Commissioner Habibullah Wazir, tehsildars, elders of Turkhani and Uthmankhel tribes, including Malik Ayaz, MalikAbdul Aziz, Sheikh Jehanzada, Malik Sultan Zeb, Malik Qadir Khan, Malik Bahadur Shah and others attended the jirga.

The speakers said that two separate councils would be constituted with the consultation of elders of both the main tribes to settle disputes in the district. Meanwhile, a number of elders and Ulema have opposed the proposed councils and termed it old wine in a new bottle to

deprive the people of the merged district of their due rights.

Talking to The News on telephone, Maulana Anwarul Haq of Jannat Shah village said that people of Bajaur district were fed up with the Ulema and maliks’ councils as they had made life hell for the dwellers while settling disputes.

“The former Ulema and maliks’ councils had always played a partial role and given verdicts in favour of influential people. We do not need any councils after the judiciary has formally started functioning,” the Maulana said, adding that the people of Bajaur had full confidence in the judiciary and system prevailed in other districts of the province.

Qari Abdul Majeed, Sadiq Akbar and Javed Thunder expressed views about the the proposed councils.

They said that efforts were being made by certain elements to retain the old system of Frontier Crimes Regulation and restrict freedom of the people.

They suggested that dispute resolution councils (DRCs) on the pattern of other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be constituted to resolve minor disputes among the people. They vowed that the new councils would be opposed tooth and nail as they, according to them, were harmful for the interests of the people.