PESHAWAR: A Grand Jirga organised by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and attended by top officials including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has empowered Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to hold talks with dissenting parties to improve law and order situation in the province.
CM Gandapur hosted the Grand Jirga at CM House on Thursday to discuss political and security matters in the province.
The key sitting was attended by KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Minister Amir Muqam, lawmakers from the provincial assembly as well as heads and representatives of all political parties.
According to a declaration issued at the conclusion of the sitting, the participants authorised CM Gandapur to form a separate jirga under his chair to hold talks with dissenting parties to find a solution to KP issues amicably.
It further said that the chief minister thanked the Grand Jirga participants for empowering him to hold dialogue. It added that the process of formulating the next strategy and consultations for peaceful resolution of KP issues would be completed at the earliest.
Subsequently, CM Gandapur also announced to host a new jirga aiming to end the political and security crisis in the province.
Sources privy to the development told Geo News that the participants of the high-level sitting also finalised the terms of reference (ToRs) of the new jirga headed by CM Gandapur, however, members of the negotiation body were not decided yet.
They added that the development came after the chief minister sought authority from the Grand Jirga participants to hold talks with a banned organisation.
“I’m ready to sit on the floor with the second party for negotiations,” the sources quoted Gandapur as saying at the Grand Jirga.
He also referred to a clash between KP police and banned Pakhtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) workers on the boundary between Khyber district and the provincial capital.
There persons were killed and 15 injured as police faced off with the outlawed PTM members yesterday who set up tents near Regi Lalma on the Khyber district side, close to the boundary with Peshawar, The News reported.
In today’s high-level sitting, CM Gandapur requested the participants, including the interior minister, to refrain from taking any action until his permission.
Responding to Gandapur’s request, Naqvi said that the federal government has no objection to holding talks hosted by the KP chief minister, the sources added.
Adviser to KP CM on Information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif said in a statement that the heads of the political parties came on the same page to establish peace in the province.
He added that CM Gandapur has been given full authority to find peaceful solutions to the prevailing issues and expressed confidence in his leadership.
Saif detailed that consultations were underway between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, CM Gandapur, Interior Minister Naqvi, Governor Kundi and the parties’ heads to formulate future strategy.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
