PESHAWAR – The 14 years old bloody dispute between two rival families of Peshawar was resolved on Monday when Akhunzadas of Peshawar pardoned the Bilour brothers. The feud had claimed 3 lives in over a decade of stand-off. The Bilour brothers had been charged in the FIRs registered in the murder of PPP leaders Syed Qamar Abbass and Mohammad Ali Raza. The late Qamar Abbass was also accused of killing Shabir Ahmad Bilour. On Monday, Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Provincial Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour, Senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, Barrister Haroon Bilour and Usman Bashir Bilour went to the residence of Iqbal Ali Akhunzada who along with his sister-in-law and other family members pardoned them. They also announced withdrawal of FIR against Bilours.
The Monday’s development has raised hope that the dispute between ANP’s Bilours and the family of late PPP leader Syed Qamar Abbass could be settled in a couple of days. The peace deal was struck in a jirga at which, The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ministers Rahim Dad Khan, Syed Aqil Shah, Liqat Shabab, Shuja Salim Khan, MPA’s Aurangzeb, Alamgir Khalil, Atif Ur Rehman and others were present. PPP leaders including Mirza Mohammad Jihadi from Kurram Agency, Malik Waheed from Abbottabad and Malik Dil Nawaz Khan from Bannu had mediated for settling the dispute. Iqbal Ali Akhunzada, former senator Jawad Hadi and Tehrik Fiqah Jafria leader Iftikhar Naqvi also addressed the jirga.
The feud started when late Shabir Ahmad Bilour, son of Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour was killed during a political clash on April 21, 1997. Late Qamar Abbass was charged for killing Shabir Ahmad Bilour. Later a court declared Abbass innocent. But Qamar Abbass and his nephew Mohammad Ali were gunned down in an ambush. Former prime minister late Benazir Bhutto, Khan Abdul Wali Khan and Ajmal Khattak had also tried to resolve the dispute. President Asif Ali Zardari, since his return in country had also worked for a settlement. The political circles in Peshawar see it a positive development in city.
