The Jirga system should be reformed to protect rights of women and children, tribal affairs’ experts agreed on Thursday.
During a session on ‘Reforming the Tribal Jirga System in FATA’ in which government officials were also among the participants, renowned journalist Syed Talat Hussain said rules of the Jirga system should be balanced, accessible and comprehensive. However, he said traditions should be analysed and they should be continued where development was not being hampered. Such an approach was collectively beneficial for the people, society and the tradition itself, he said.
CEO Naveed Ahmed Shinwari gave a presentation on the “Tribal Jirga System: Legality and Legitimacy in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)”, in which he shared key findings of the baseline study on “Understanding Jirga: Legality and Legitimacy in FATA”.
Shinwari said Jirga was the only formal justice system in Pakistan’s tribal areas, adding that reforms in the Jirga system were needed to prevent violation of human rights, especially of women and minorities. He said further that reforms should be more sensitive to the universally accepted human rights’ principles. However, before taking any steps and recommending reforms in the Jirga system, there was a need for an in-depth assessment of the Jirga system, he said.
