PESHAWAR: Participants at the peace Jriga underlined the need for national consensus to settle problems with Afghan leadership and advocate cross-border cooperation and dialogue with Afghan leadership for the restoration of peace on both sides of the border.
Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Sherpao, while addressing the Aman Jirga, said that basically this Jirga has been called for peace, and despite all the problems, we are striving for peace. He said that everyone wants to restore peace in this province, because people are fearful of operations. After all, this results in displacement. Aftab Sherpao said that talks have been held many times, but they have not yielded any results.
He said that peace is not possible until a uniform narrative of the province and federal government. He mentioned the lack of implementation of the National Action Plan after the APS incident and said that this proposal was made by Imran Khan, and if the National Action Plan is not being implemented, then it is a failure of both the federal and the provincial governments.
Aftab Sherpao stressed the need to further advance the talks with Afghanistan and said that if the talks are not successful, it does not mean that the door is closed. He suggested sending a jirga to Afghanistan to persuade the elders of the country to take steps for peace in Pakistan. Aftab Sherpao said that, along with providing modern equipment to the police, the capacity of the CTD should also be increased.
PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar, while addressing the peace jirga, said that, unfortunately, politicians have been sidelined in state decisions across the country. He said that the decision to go to war with Afghanistan was not the government’s but the state’s. Junaid Akbar further said that when industries were being set up all over Pakistan, the people of Peshawar were being recruited for jihad.
He said that when Imran Khan was the Prime Minister, the then Army Chief and DG ISI had briefed the Prime Minister. The military generals had said that some people living in Afghanistan would be brought here, but all the politicians objected to this. However, the Prime Minister accepted the decisions of his advisor.
Junaid Akbar said that the jirga was sent on the request of the then Corps Commander for talks with the Taliban. He said that there is no such cemetery in the entire province where no martyr is buried. On the issue of terrorism, Junaid Akbar said that we are given one percent in exchange for terrorism, and the province is not getting the rights that should have been given by the federation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, while addressing the peace jirga, said that peace will come only when terrorism is eliminated. He said that peace cannot come from decisions taken in closed rooms, but we have to adopt a policy that terrorism is permanently eliminates terrorism.
Sohail Afridi expressed regret over not receiving funds from the federation for the merged districts of FATA and said that we need money for infrastructure development. He said that they are being treated like stepmothers, despite of due rights of arrears with the federal government. Afridi asked the opposition parties to stand with them for the rights of the province.
The Chief Minister further said that the religion and culture of the KP and Afghan people are common, and they want peace in Pakistan, but good relations with neighbors should not be damaged.
JUI-F Senator Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman said that they are trying to save themselves and the nation, but despite all efforts, peace could not be established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that our peace is currently associated with our neighbours, and we could not play the role that we needed to play. Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman said that we should also think about our words, tone, and character.
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