Tribesmen fear bloodshed as admin ignores ‘teega’ custom

PESHAWAR: Tribesmen in Khyber tribal district have feared heavy bloodshed due to their local disputes in case the district administration didn’t officially own “teega” or ceasefire in the tribal district.

According to the tribesmen, there are hundreds of local disputes among the tribesmen over certain issues but they were never worried about their security from rivals due to the centuries-old tradition of “teega” or ceasefire declared by the local administration.

They complained that the district administration a few days ago issued a list of teegas or ceasefire to around 250 disputes but it had created unrest among the people as it was the first time that the government or the local administration didn’t own the ceasefire.

“Previously, the tribal elders or Maliks and the local administration and security officials in the area would own such ceasefires. Now the district administration has exempted itself and the security officials in the area from the ceasefire, meaning that they would not ensure the implementation of the ceasefire,” one tribal elder told The News.

He wanted to seek the attention of the chief minister and chief secretary towards this major security issue in Khyber tribal district. Pleading anonymity, he and other tribal elders complained that the tribesmen having disputes had taken up arms against each other and may kill each other any time.

“The tribesmen are spending sleepless nights and taken positions on rooftops to secure themselves from rival groups. It seems the district administration has intentionally left them to kill each other,” the tribal elder said. Khyber tribal district Deputy Commissioner Mansoor Khan avoided comment on the issue.