A jirga in South Waziristan has unanimously agreed to punish Awami National Party (ANP) leader Ayaz Wazir by razing his house to the ground, due to his opposition to an earlier jirga decision pertaining to the area’s security.
A jirga of the Ahmadzai Wazir clan met in South Waziristan’s headquarters, Wanna, a few days age. They demanded the authorities to hand over the area’s security matters to local peace committees formed by the government.
However, ANP leader Ayaz Wazir objected to this demand. He said that police, administration and other security forces were already operational in the area. How, then, could security be handed to the peace committees, he asked.
In retaliation to his objection, a second “grand” jirga was summoned, which decided to punish Ayaz Wazir as per tribal traditions by razing his house. It also levied a fine of Rs10 lac on the ANP leader. As per reports, the elders of all nine clans from Ahmedzai Wazir tribe present at the jirga unanimously agreed to this decision.
The jirga decided to carry out the sentence against Ayaz Wazir on June 6, when another jirga will gather at Karikot and then proceed to raze Wazir’s house on “drumbeat”.
The jirga has refused Wazir and his family’s pleas to accept sacrificial animals as conciliation in return of withdrawing their decision. Meanwhile, the ANP party has warned the local administration that legal action would be taken against it if it did not intervene in the matter, as per the law.
Collective punishment was made illegal following the merger of erstwhile FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the annulling of the Frontier Crimes Regulations.
It must also be remembered that the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) has repeatedly pointed out the hostile actions of peace committees formed by the government in South and North Waziristan.
A jirga of the Ahmadzai Wazir clan met in South Waziristan’s headquarters, Wanna, a few days age. They demanded the authorities to hand over the area’s security matters to local peace committees formed by the government.
However, ANP leader Ayaz Wazir objected to this demand. He said that police, administration and other security forces were already operational in the area. How, then, could security be handed to the peace committees, he asked.
In retaliation to his objection, a second “grand” jirga was summoned, which decided to punish Ayaz Wazir as per tribal traditions by razing his house. It also levied a fine of Rs10 lac on the ANP leader. As per reports, the elders of all nine clans from Ahmedzai Wazir tribe present at the jirga unanimously agreed to this decision.
The jirga decided to carry out the sentence against Ayaz Wazir on June 6, when another jirga will gather at Karikot and then proceed to raze Wazir’s house on “drumbeat”.
The jirga has refused Wazir and his family’s pleas to accept sacrificial animals as conciliation in return of withdrawing their decision. Meanwhile, the ANP party has warned the local administration that legal action would be taken against it if it did not intervene in the matter, as per the law.
Collective punishment was made illegal following the merger of erstwhile FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the annulling of the Frontier Crimes Regulations.
It must also be remembered that the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) has repeatedly pointed out the hostile actions of peace committees formed by the government in South and North Waziristan.