Swat jirga rejects military operation, warns of Islamabad march

Summary The participants strongly rejected any new military operation in Swat and demanded that the government eliminate all terrorists from Swat and Malakand Division within one month and establish lasting peace. He said the people of Swat and Malakand Division wanted lasting peace, restoration of the special status of Malakand Division and withdrawal of all tax measures. The speakers said the people of Swat and Malakand Division had paid a heavy price during the past two decades because of terrorism and unrest. AI Generated Summary SWAT: A grand jirga of all major political parties, traders' organizations, lawyers and civil society was held in Mingora under the banner of the Swat Qaumi Jirga. The participants strongly rejected any new military operation in Swat and demanded that the government eliminate all terrorists from Swat and Malakand Division within one month and establish lasting peace. The jirga warned that if the government failed to meet the demand within the given time, a protest movement would be launched, followed by a long march towards Islamabad. Speakers said that Swat and Malakand Division have faced terrorism, military operations, natural disasters and floods since 2007. They said these crises have badly damaged the local economy and affected tourism in the region. They said the people could no longer afford another military operation, further unrest or new taxes. They urged the government to take immediate and practical steps to restore peace and support the local economy. The participants welcomed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government's decision to withdraw the imposition of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) and other provincial taxes. However, they demanded that the federal government also withdraw its decision to impose federal taxes in Malakand Division and the merged districts and restore the special status of Malakand Division. After the jirga, former Matta tehsil nazim, Abdul Jabbar Khan, issued a declaration. He said the people of Swat and Malakand Division wanted lasting peace, restoration of the special status of Malakand Division and withdrawal of all tax measures. The declaration strongly urged the state and relevant institutions to remove all terrorists from Swat and Malakand Division within one month. According to the declaration, if the demands were not accepted, the people of Swat would unite and hold a major public protest. If the government still failed to address the security situation and withdraw the tax decisions, local elders, political and non-political organizations and civil society would block major roads and stage an open-ended sit-in. The declaration said that if the government failed to accept the demands even after the sit-in, the jirga would announce a long march towards Islamabad. Those who addressed the jirga included MPA Fazal Hakeem Khan, MNA Dr Amjad Ali Khan, former MNA Dr Haider Ali Khan, ANP district president Sher Shah Khan, former provincial assembly candidate Zahir Shah Rorjan, Pakistan Peoples Party Malakand Division president Malik Akram Khan, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Akhtar Ali Khanji and Muhammad Amin, JUI leader Ejaz Khan, Paktunkhwa National Party leaders Umar Ali Khan Yousafzai, Saleem Khan and Fazal Ahad Lalaji, Malakand Division Traders Federation president Abdul Rahim, Swat Qaumi Jirga spokesman Ahmad Shah, Irfan Khan Chattan, PML-N Malakand Division president Wajid Ali Khan, district president Qawi Khan Advocate, former district nazim Jamal Nasir Khan and former district nazim Muhammad Ali Shah, among others. The speakers said the people of Swat and Malakand Division had paid a heavy price during the past two decades because of terrorism and unrest. They said the time had come for the state to take effective and practical measures to protect the people, ensure lasting peace and support economic recovery in the region.