Nationalist parties convene jirga on Pakhtun issues

BANNU: The nationalist parties convened a jirga here on Friday to discuss the issues faced by the Pakhtuns in a bid to suggest solutions for that.

Those who turned up at the gathering included Mehmood Khan Achakzai of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP), Mohsin Dawar of National Democratic Movement, Nawab Ayaz Jogizai, the nawab of Balochistan, Khushhal Khan Kakar, Malik Shaukatullah Khan, Malik Haroon Khan, Malik, Sher Ali Baz Khan, Malik Shuaib Khan Sadozai, Abdus Samad Khan, Nisar KLhan Mandan, and tribal elders from KP, Balochistan and Punjab.

Achakzai lamented that a bloody battle was being fought on the Pakhtun land for the last over four decades and those living in various continents gathered against the Pakhtoons.

“All types of weapons were used against the people of Afghanistan. The United States of America cheated on Afghans in the name of reconstruction and abandoned them after 20 years of war,” he deplored.

The PMAP chief said under a plot, elements were brought in and settled in the tribal regions who targeted our religious and tribal elders through acts of terror.

He said Pakhtoons were killed in Karachi on May 12, 2007, and those who lost their loved ones were never compensated even to this day.

Mehmood Khan said the Pakhtoon belt had natural resources but despite that, the Pakhtoons were kept deprived. He said we must have control over our resources.

He said this jirga should declare that the exploitation of the Pakhtoons would not be tolerated.

Mehmood Khan suggested that this Jirga should be given a permanent body status by making the elders as its members.