RECORDER REPORT

PESHAWAR: The tribal elders have strongly criticized the anti-Pakistan jirga convened in Kabul the other day and stressed upon Afghan government not to allow the Afghan soil to be used against Pakistan. Tribesmen will never hesitate to lay down their lives for the sake of their motherland, they vowed.

The tribal elders were addressing Fata Peace Grand Jirga held at sports complex, Jamrud in Khyber Agency on Sunday. Besides, former federal ministers Noor Haq Qadri and Malik Waris Khan Afridi more than two thousands participants including large number of tribal elites, members of civil society and tribesmen from different walks of life from across the tribal belt and Afghanistan joined the gathering.

Addressing on the occasion former Member National Assembly Noor Haq Qadri, Malik Waris Khan Afridi, Malik Darya Khan, Malik Manan, Afghan cleric Hashmi and others criticized in strongest possible terms the anti-Pakistan gathering organized in Kabul the other day.

They demanded of the Afghan government not to let any one use its soil against Pakistan and avoid such kind of activities that could hurt bilateral relation between the two neighboring countries.

“Spreading Indian influence in Afghanistan and establishing more than sixty five Indian consulates is a major security threat to Pakistan,” they argued. The speakers added that when USSR attacked Afghanistan in 1979, it was India that supported the Russian offence. However, they added Pakistan came forward and extended possible assistance to the Afghan refugees but they are amazed to see that the Afghan rulers have forgotten all sacrifices made by Pakistan and let the Indians use Afghan land against Pakistan and which is regretful.

The tribal elders said that Durand Line was a permanent and recognized border between Afghanistan and Pakistan but those elements in Afghanistan who denied the fact were just making it a political slogan to misguide the people of Afghanistan.

“Tribesmen support and favour better relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan on basis of mutual interests of the both countries and the tribesmen are ready to play their due role in helping re-establish good relations between two neighbouring countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan,” the elders remarked.

Offering their services, they urged the Pakistani authorities to form a tribal Jirga to visit Kabul and call on Afghan rulers to de-escalate the current tension and bring normalcy between the two neighbouring countries.

It is to be mentioned here that last week an anti-Pakistan Tribal Jirga had been organized in Kabul in which speakers uttered some poisonous words against Pakistan and had rejected Durand Line a permanent boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Prior to it, according to administration official, due to security reasons and tribal Jirga, the Jamrud bazaar was suspended for all kinds of activities.