BAJAUR: An eight-day jirga of the local elders with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and security forces ended without any progress. The talks began after armed TTP groups entered the district from Afghanistan’s Kunar province about six weeks ago.
The jirga held seven rounds of negotiations. Taliban representatives refused to leave Bajaur. The jirga, comprising tribal elders and local political leaders, urged both sides to protect the lives and property of civilians in any future conflict.
Jirga chief Sahibzada Haroon Rasheed said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister has invited the elders for a meeting in Peshawar tomorrow. The jirga hopes to work out a peace plan.
Last month, TTP militants—led by Bajaur commander Maulana Malang Badshah—set up checkpoints in several villages, attacked security forces, and circulated videos locally. Malang Badshah also heads the Darul Hijra Wal Jihad Madrasa in Kunar.
Security forces imposed a curfew in 16 villages of Loi Mamund tehsil on July 29 and prepared for an operation. The civilian jirga brokered a temporary ceasefire, asking the TTP to either return to Afghanistan or move to the mountains.
With talks failing, the chances of a military operation in the area have increased.
