PESHAWAR (MNN); Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi on Sunday said that his government would not be part of any failed policy, stressing that sustainable peace in the region could only be achieved through decisions made in consultation with tribal elders and the provincial government.
Addressing a jirga comprising parliamentarians and tribal elders from Bajaur at the Chief Minister’s House, he said peace had been restored in 2018 but deliberate efforts were underway to destabilise the area again. He maintained that decisions taken behind closed doors had historically worsened the situation.
Sources said that the jirga discussed law and order and development projects in Bajaur, noting that stability could not be ensured unless all stakeholders were on the same page. Former governor Shaukatullah said that governance required wisdom and consensus among all parties for normalcy to return.
Some jirga members said they were fulfilling their responsibilities by safeguarding their areas and not allowing outsiders to settle. One participant, speaking anonymously, said the chief minister himself was powerless to stop military operations even in his hometown, making it unrealistic to expect him to halt such actions in Bajaur.
Development in the merged districts also came under discussion. The chief minister assured the jirga that if the federal government failed to release promised funds for merged districts, resources would be diverted from other development projects to Bajaur.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s House, jirga participants presented proposals for lasting peace and expressed full confidence in the chief minister, assuring him of complete support. Discussions also covered the provincial law and order situation, Pak-Afghan relations and development planning.
The chief minister announced an increase in compensation for partially damaged houses in Bajaur from Rs0.16 million to Rs0.5 million following recent operations. He said the federal government had promised Rs1 billion annually at the time of the merger of tribal areas with KP, but only Rs168 billion had been released over the past seven years. He also criticised the lack of funds for the Accelerated Implementation Programme and ordered an increase in the upper age limit for police recruitment in merged districts.
In a separate jirga with elders from Kurram and Khyber districts, the chief minister said he understood the suffering caused by military operations and would not abandon his people. He said sectarian tensions had inflicted damage and allowed hostile elements to exploit the situation. He announced plans to visit Kurram soon to address issues of displaced persons and directed that registration of affected families be completed within a week.
Meanwhile, addressing public gatherings in Mansehra, Chief Minister Afridi said the street movement launched from Karachi on the directive of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan would bring transformative changes to the country’s political system.
Speaking at Khatm-i-Nabowat Chowk and College Doraha during the early hours of Sunday, he said the large turnout welcoming the convoy from Haripur to Hazara reflected public demand for the immediate release of Imran Khan.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar and deputy president Kamal Saleem Swati were also present.
The chief minister said the movement had mobilised people from Sindh to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and would soon reach every corner of the country. He warned that the government would not be able to suppress the public movement this time, saying every city and square had been turned into a protest centre.
He accused the federal government of failing to address the country’s political, social and economic crises, stating that Imran Khan’s leadership was essential to steer the nation out of the prevailing challenges. The convoy entered Mansehra via the Karakoram Highway and concluded at College Doraha in the early hours of Sunday.
