The recently banned Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) organized a jirga in Jamrud with government support, concluding on Sunday with delegates expressing concerns over the impacts of militancy and anti-terrorism operations that have displaced millions over the past two decades.
Delegates from various political parties and professional organizations engaged in discussions across 60 separate enclosures, presenting recommendations for a final declaration that is expected to be released after further deliberations among stakeholders.
Throughout the three-day assembly, mobile phone service remained suspended in the area. Organizers showcased data highlighting human and financial losses, displaying information on militant attacks in the province and statistics related to natural resources in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
According to PTM data, military operations over the last 20 years have led to the displacement of 5.7 million people, with at least 2.3 million still without homes. The statistics revealed that 76,584 individuals, including 1,375 tribal elders and 3,000 religious figures, lost their lives to bomb blasts and targeted killings, while around 6,700 people remain missing. Additionally, 370,000 houses and mosques have been either partially or completely destroyed due to terrorism and anti-terror operations.
The PTM highlighted a sense of deprivation among locals, emphasizing that they receive minimal benefits from the extraction of regional natural resources. Participants were urged to consider the damages and wealth of the area and develop proposals for future action.
PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen called on delegates to include a demand for security forces and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to vacate the tribal areas within 60 days, asserting that peace would return naturally thereafter. He criticized political parties for their lack of mobilization, noting that they failed to gather even 3,000 supporters for the jirga.
On the final day, a significant number of people continued to arrive in Jamrud, causing long queues near Karkhano Market as attendees waited for hours. Volunteer security managed the main compound, while police monitored access routes from Jamrud and Peshawar.
A notable presence of women’s rights activists and students from various educational institutions in Peshawar was observed on the last day.
Meanwhile, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, who attended the jirga, emphasized that militancy is the province's primary issue. He acknowledged the sacrifices made by police and armed forces in their fight against militants over the past 24 years, stating, “These sacrifices are not hidden.”
He called for unity to secure the province’s rights and resolve its challenges, praising the jirga as a step toward thwarting the enemy's designs. Kundi asserted that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has contributed significantly to ensuring law and order in the country.