MARDAN: Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, has called for the jirga system, a traditional tribal dispute resolution mechanism, to be used to settle the conflict between warring groups in Kurram. He claims that using force or imposing a biased decision could worsen the already precarious situation in the unstable tribal district.
“Neither coercion nor biased rulings have been used to settle contentious problems. We support the jirga system. For this reason, a jirga made up of trustworthy and reputable individuals should settle the Kurram dispute. Speaking to reporters here in Mardan on Sunday, the JUI-F chairman stated, “We prefer jirga in case of resolving issues and disputes because it has the ability to solve problems and issues in a better way.”
Following a religious event at Jamia Islamia Babuzai in Katlang tehsil of the Mardan district, the Maulana shared his opinions over the government’s decision to launch a limited “counterterrorism operation” in a few Lower Kurram areas.
In the same way, he said, “if the government is serious in bringing a durable peace and stability in the volatile region, then the elders of both rival groups have to be taken into confidence in this connection.”
The head of JUI-F suggests that a jirga could be used to address the matter.
The head of JUI-F has requested that the federal government involve political leaders in the Kurram issue’s negotiation process.
In response to a query, he stated that he did not seem to perceive any progress in the negotiations between the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the current federal administration.
“I pray for the government-PTI talks to be successful, but it seems like I am not seeing any improvement or breakthrough in the dialogue,” the JUI-F chairman stated.
In response to another question, he stated that each PTI leader had a statement of their own, which is why he did not answer any queries on their remarks. He did, however, promise to respond to the party’s remarks if necessary.
KP leaders are “not elected.”
Because the provincial rulers had lost their authority in many parts of the province, the JUI-F head bemoaned the lack of government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He claimed that some strong forces had given the current provincial leaders in KP their position of authority rather than them being elected. Since the province had been given to unfit, incapable, and immature individuals, the corruption had shattered all previous records in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s history, he said.
But as a political leader, he supported dialogue and stated that all political parties, including PTI, were welcome. He went on to say that he and his party had previously discussed matters of shared interest with the PTI leadership and that such discussions might take place again in the future.
