Ex-Fata minister urges the govt to resolve Bara dispute through dialogues

By Ashrafuddin Pirzada

PESHAWAR: Urging the government to resolve the matter with dialogues, former federal minister and Qambarkhel tribe elder Hamidullah Jan Afridi has said that bombardment and military action would further increase militancy in the area. 

Hamidullah Jan was talking to media men at his residence in Peshawar said that military action was not the final solution of the conflict. He said that hundreds of innocent people have been killed in the decade long militancy and in military actions in Khyber but in vain. 

Hamidullah Jan Afridi rejected the jirga called on at Khyber House Peshawar  and said that the political agent of Khyber Agency had convened the Jirga after military Khyber 1 operation was launched. He said use of force and dialogues at a time  was against the Pashtoon tradition and customs which would not bring back peace into the area. Afridi also criticized the aloofness of the MNA Nasir Khan Afridi and senator Haji Khan Afridi said that they had not returned to their voters after they were being elected. 

The former parliamentarian accused the Khyber Agency political administration that PA Shahab Ali Shah was incompetent official to end the blood shed which took dozens of innocent lives in Khyber Agency. He said PA Khyber would be responsible for further deteriorating the Khyber Agency's situation. 

 "The military operation is started in Bara to avoid the tribesmen attention from the billion of rupees corruption taking place every month in Khyber House", Hamidullah alleged. He said those who suffer from the current military action would compel to pursue the Khyber Agency political agent in court. 

Afridi pledged that he was capable to resolve the matter with dialogues if the government ask him to hold talks with both the parties. He said soon a jirga of Bara elders would meet the Inspector General Frontier Crops(IGFC) and the governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to help end the military actions in Khyber Agency. He said that local elders were taken in confidence before launching the military operation. 

Hamidullah Jan requested the humanitarian organizations to come forward and help the displaced persons residing in different in Jamrud and Peshawar areas.  

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