Bannu:a peace jirga convened for maintaining peace has presented the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government with a list of 16 demands during a lengthy meeting with Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. The demands are slated to be formally discussed before the provincial apex committee. The meeting, held at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar, was attended by the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Inspector General, and other officials. However, entry to some jirga members was initially denied, causing unrest among others. After thorough security checks, all members were allowed in, marking the beginning of the discussions.
President of the jirga, Naseer Khan Bangash, informed the media that after hearing all demands, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur assured that these demands would be presented before the apex committee for detailed deliberation. Bangash claimed that a decision was made during the meeting for five jirga members to participate in the apex committee session.
Furthermore, Bangash affirmed that the ongoing peace dharna in Bannu will continue effectively, and Chief Minister Ali Amin will personally visit Bannu after the apex committee meeting to update dharna participants on the committee’s decisions. No official statement regarding the meeting has been released from the Chief Minister’s House yet.
The demands presented by the Bannu peace jirga include robust measures for effective peace initiatives, notably opposing any military operations and urging for the closure of visible Taliban centers in Bannu. The jirga’s demands also include empowering local police autonomously and providing them with modern equipment, as well as a cessation of police raids. They emphasized the dignity of schools and local residents and called for the full activation of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD).
