In a bid to find a consensus way out of the ongoing violence, terrorism and militancy on their soil, a representative two-day national jirga of Pashtuns commenced at Nishtar Hall Peshawar on Tuesday.
Beside others, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti was the main speaker at the inaugural session.
The “National Pukhtoon Jirga” is being hosted by leading nationalist politician Mohammad Afzal Khan, commonly known as Khan Lala, with the support of the Awami National Party.
Beside leading intellectuals, writers, tribal chieftains, civil society organization representatives and lawyers, the jirga was also attended by leaders and office bearers of the PPP, PML-N, PML-Q, JUI-F and Pakistan Mazdoor Kissan Party.
At the onset of the two-day jirga, Mohammad Afzal Khan highlighted its objectives, which was “nothing else than getting rid of violence and destruction on Pukhtoon’s soil from the last three decades”.
He said, “So far, three million Pashtuns both from Pakistan and Afghanistan have been killed in such violence and suffered a losses of billions of rupees.”
“In fact, it s neither an Islamic nor territorial issue, but it is an issue of humanity, on such grounds all of us need to join hands for its resolution,” Khan Lala remarked.
Welcoming participants to the jirga on behalf of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Chief Minister Hoti said that it was a good omen when all Pashtun elders irrespective of their political identity and affiliation assembled with a view to discuss the existing situation. He said Pashtuns were not responsible either for the invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union or US.
He said Pakistan and Afghanistan were not only neighbors but its people were linked with each others in relations. On such grounds, the chief minister said unless peace returned to Afghanistan, no one could ensure peace in Pakistan.
He said all foreigners must leave the region as their presence was the root cause of violence, bloodshed and destruction going on in the region from the last three decades.
Beside Hoti and Mohammad Afzal Khan, the inaugural session was also addressed by PML-N Provincial Secretary General Rahmat Salam Khattak, Maulana Fazal Ali Haqqani of the JUI -F, Afzal Khamoosh of Mazdoor Kissan Party, Mukhtar Bacha of National Party, Dr Said Alam Mehsud, Intekhab Khan Chamkani of PML-Q and Shahab Khattak of the Pakistan Awami Party addressed the jirga.
The conference is likely to be concluded with a declaration asking all foreigners, particularly the US-led allies and al Qaeda to leave the region.