PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Engineer Shaukatullah on Friday assued full support to members of tribal peace jirga in their efforts to revive peace in tribal areas, saying his office would serve as coordination office of a tribal jirga to facilitate negotiations between the government and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Dispatch News Desk (DND) reported on Saturday.
All Party Conference (APC) backed 60-member tribal peace jirga led by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman called on KP Governor at the Governor’s House on Friday and briefed him about dialogue process with Taliban.
Talking to media persons after the meeting, the governor said he had directed political agents of all tribal regions to cooperate with the jirga in its efforts for making peace with the TTP. He expressed the hope that the jirga’s endeavour would bring peace to the tribal region.
The grand tribal peace jirga was given the mandate to hold peace talks with militants at an APC hosted by the JUI-F in Islamabad on Thursday. Mainstream political and religious parties as well as civil society groups attended the conference which was boycotted by Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf. The parties also agreed on a five-point declaration adopted at the conference.
At the meeting, modalities and future strategy for talks with militants were discussed. According to an official privy to the meeting, backchannel contacts had already begun with the TTP leadership and it was expected that before formal talks a major breakthrough would be achieved.
“This is a step forward and major achievement towards peace since an initiative has been made for talks,” the official said, adding that people in Islamabad were not familiar with traditions and culture of the tribal region and problems its people were facing.
A member of the jirga from North Waziristan said there would be no problem with Miramshah-based Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur as he already had a peace deal with the government, but other leaders of the TTP might give tough time to the jirga.
The JUI-F chief said that this tribal peace jirga carries support of the global community along with the national leaders.
Fazl praised the TTP for welcoming the APC declaration and said the group had shown farsightedness.
“I have requested the governor to extend full cooperation to the jirga to bring the Taliban and the government to the negotiating table,” he told media.
DND
