Loya Jirga against merger of tribal areas on 26th

PESHAWAR: All Pakistan Tribal and Qabail Tahaffuz Movement has decided to organise the movement against the merger of tribal areas and hold a Loya Jirga in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan besides using other means for the purpose.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Monday, the elders of All Pakistan Tribal and Qabail Tahaffuz Movement asked the federal and provincial governments as well as military leadership to take notice of the situation and launch serious steps for finding solution to their problems by holding negotiations.

A tribal elder Haji Malik Mohammad Hussain said the government should recognise the tribal jirga as supreme council at official level and provide it with all the facilities. He said that the Tribal Supreme Council should be authorised to form tribal jirga in every district of the merged areas for the solution of the local problems.

The Malik said the tribal jirga would be held on the Ring Road in Peshawar on September 26 and it would unanimously demand the holding of negotiation with the federal and provincial government to withdraw the decision of the merger of the tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through what he said were illegal and unconstitutional means.

The tribal elders challenged the government claims of change in the tribal districts and said the merger had made life miserable for the people. They demanded a separate province comprising of tribal areas only.

They said all leaders including Sartaj Aziz, Shah Jee Gul and others had allegedly agreed to the merger for their own interests. The elders announced a 10-point agenda to hold negotiations with the government. They believed that the tribal population had also been shown less in the census and termed it an injustice with them.

The elders asked the prime minister, chief of army staff, corps commander and KP chief minister to take steps for addressing their problems. The tribal elders challenged the government claims of change in the tribal districts and said the merger had made life miserable for the people.

They demanded a separate province comprising of tribal areas only. He said all leaders including Sartaj Aziz, Shah Jee Gul and his brother had allegedly agreed to the merger for their own interests.