Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday urged state institutions to sit with politicians and chalk out a solution for terrorism, as past military operations in the erstwhile tribal areas had not yielded the desired results.
Addressing a press conference after a grand tribal Jirga called to discuss Sunday’s suicide bombing at a JUIF convention in Bajaur, he read out a declaration inked by the participants, stressing on action against militants. “The jirga demands effective steps to restore law and order,” he said, adding that citizens impacted by past military operations should be compensated for their losses.
Referring to the resurgence of militancy nationwide, but particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, he alleged it was part of an “international conspiracy” to destabilize Pakistan. The Jirga, he said, had also demanded the restoration of peace in the merged areas as well as the provision of facilities to the tribal people. It has proposed, he said, a multi-party conference to evolve consensus on tackling terrorism among all stakeholders. He said the JUIF central executive committee would meet on Saturday (today) to begin consultations on holding the multi-party moot.
Fazl also called for improving the bilateral ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan, stressing on the need for a joint strategy to eradicate terrorism.
Apart from the JUIF chief, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Awami National Party General Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain, and other political leaders and tribal elders also attended the Jirga.
Speaking to media, Achakzai claimed the ongoing militancy was the result of proxy wars waged in the region by international powers for their own interests. “It was not feasible to bar movement from one country to the other; therefore, both Pakistan and Afghanistan will have to make a joint strategy and further strengthen their relations,” he said, and advised the interim Afghanistan government to work to end its “diplomatic isolation” by fulfilling its commitments under the Doha Agreement.
The PKMAP chief also demanded the U.N. convene a special meeting for Afghanistan and its neighbors to help them evolve consensus on respecting each other’s sovereignty while adhering to the principles of non-interference and peaceful coexistence.
Lawmakers’ concerns
Separately, lawmakers of the JUIF warned the government of a “reaction” from tribesmen if terrorism in their areas were not curtailed. In various speeches in the National Assembly, MNAs stressed on the need for a “consistent” policy against terrorists to avoid tribal people from taking the matter into their own hands.
South Waziristan MNA Jamaluddin, who was attending the JUIF convention in Bajaur on Sunday, said there were three available options: either authorities return to the negotiation table with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan; initiate a full-scale offensive against the militants; or allow the tribesmen to tackle the terrorists of their own accord.
Stressing that it was the state’s responsibility to protect its citizens, he lamented the ongoing infiltrations of militants across the Durand Line despite extensive fencing, and questioned how a suicide bomber had managed to reach the Bajaur convention without any checks from security forces.