Pak jirgas demand direct talks with Afghanistan for peace

The jirgas have demanded direct talks with the Afghan government and banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other outfits to secure peace in the region.

- Tariq Butt

The issue of so-called “good Taliban” and direct talks with the interim Afghan government reverberated in back-to-back tribal jirgas convened by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government, as the third such moot stressed that military offensives could not restore peace to the region.

The latest sitting, the third in this series since Aug.2, featured representatives from North Waziristan, Upper and Lower South Waziristan, as well as the tribal subdivisions of Wazir, Bettani, Darazinda, and Jandola. They demanded talks with the banned outfits in Pakistan and the Afghan interim government, to secure peace in the region.