The three-day Pashtun Qaumi Jirga, or Pashtun National Court, concluded on Oct. 13 with the issuance of a 22-point declaration, spelling out the gathering’s demands of the government and the security establishment.
Held in the Regi Lalma area at the intersection between Peshawar and Khyber, the event was organized by the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) with the support of the provincial government led by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. A national Jirga led by Gandapur convinced the federal government to allow the Qaumi Jirga to proceed, despite the Interior Ministry imposing a ban on the PTM a few days earlier.
The declaration, compiled after three days of discussions, called for the withdrawal of security forces and both “good and bad” Taliban from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa within two months. It also sought a relaxed trade regime with Afghanistan, including passport- and visa-free travel across the Durand Line. Similarly, it sought a guarantee of the local population’s first rights to the region’s resources and uninterrupted free electricity for residents of Khyber and cheap power for the rest of the province. The declaration further announce steps to establish representative jirgas for the resolution of inter-tribal disputes and unarmed groups to ensure security; called for an end to extortion; resettlement of persons displaced by terrorism and military operations; and an end to military interference in politics. It also sought a complete ban on the practice of swara or wani; and formation of a judicial commission to inquire into the killings of PTM workers in the days leading up to the jirga.
Members of the Pashtun Qaumi Jirga’s 80-strong advisory council told participants the declaration sought to address issues particularly affecting the local population, adding the prevailing unrest was hampering daily life, particularly those of women. The event was attended by thousands and, in a first for the PTM, included the participation of some women activists. “We, the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are Muslims,” said one participant. “We believe and follow the Constitution. Wars are being fought on our lands for our resources,” he added. Another from Swabi told media the people of KP did not own the wars being fought on their soil. “These wars are being imposed on us for the benefit of other countries, which is threatening our lives and livelihood,” he added.
On the federal government’s ban on the PTM, a participant from Malakand said this was aimed at reducing sympathy for the movement and its cause. “They banned the PTM so that anyone who wanted to simply talk to the PTM would no longer want to out of fear,” he claimed, linking it to the police action against PTM ahead of the Jirga that left four people dead and at least 10 others injured.
Commenting on the declaration after the jirga’s conclusion, Gandapur assured the PTM that the provincial government would strive to resolve all problems within the ambit of the Constitution, adding he would also place them before the federal government. This could pave the way for significant reforms in KP—so long as all parties continue to seek resolution of all problems through dialogue rather than agitation or unrest.