CM House in Peshawar makes emergency calls for jirga after midnight

In the early hours of Thursday, around 2AM, urgent calls were made from Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur's house in Peshawar, awakening key Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) officials and various leaders of diverse political parties from their sleep.

These calls summoned them to an emergency jirga or decision-making session scheduled for that day at the house aiming to address the pressing issue that surfaced following the crackdown on the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), also known as the Pashtun Protection Movement.

On Wednesday, at least four activists of PTM were killed and over a dozen other injured during a clash between police and activists in KP's Khyber district. PTM had set up tents for a three-day long jirga to discuss terrorism and resource issues in the province, scheduled to commence on October 11. Khyber is one of the districts created in 2018 after KP and the Afghanistan-bordering tribal areas were officially merged -

“I received the midnight call from the CM house and was requested to attend the jirga," said Governor KP Faisal Karim on the phone. "The jirga concluded on a positive note. We and other participants have authorized the chief minister to negotiate with the other party, setting aside our political differences in the best interest of the province."

Who attended the CM House grand jirga?

The grand jirga was held at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister's house on Thursday, hosted by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, according to a handout released by the office of the press secretary for the Chief Minister.

The jirga brought together prominent political figures from KP and the federal government.

• Faisal Karim Kundi, governor KP
• Mohsin Naqvi, federal interior minister
• Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Chairperson of the Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
• Aimal Wali Khan, President of the Awami National Party (ANP)
• Mohsin Dawar, Chairperson of the National Democratic Movement (NDM)
• Mian Iftikhar Hussain, ANP provincial chief
• Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha, Pakistan People's Party KP chief
• Sikandar Sherpao, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) provincial chief
• Babar Saleem Swati, speaker of the KP assembly
• Dr. Ibadullah Khan, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and KP Assembly's leader of the opposition
• Amir Muqam, PMLN and federal minister for Kashmir Affairs

A hastily called meeting without the homework

Insiders who attended the jirga noted that despite their presence throughout the jirga session, several participants remained relatively quiet, deliberately avoiding active involvement in the deliberations.

"They stayed inactive throughout, clearly trying to avoid taking on the burden,” one of the participants said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak publicly. “However, the chief minister stepped forward, taking the lead and offering to personally negotiate the process.”

Courtesy: X/@Ashraf62365217

A key jirga interlocutor pointed out that the federal government mistakenly associated the October 11th jirga solely with the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), excluding other stakeholders involved.

"The entire issue was handled hastily without proper groundwork," the interlocutor argued. "There should have been prior engagement with all stakeholders before resorting to drastic measures."

Mohsin Dawar, Chairman of National Democratic Movement (NDM) and former parliamentarian was also one of the key participants of Thursday’s jirga.

"I was asked to share my views, but I requested the chief minister and interior minister to speak first as they were supposed to brief us on the government's stance,” said Dawar on Thursday's jirga.

He noted CM Gandapur's openness in his criticism of the federal government's approach. The chief minister mentioned engaging Manzoor Pashteen, who agreed not to violate Pakistan's constitutional guidelines during the October 11 jirga proceedings.

"At around 6PM, after paying condolences to the deceased members of PTM, I witnessed the government jirga convoy arriving for talks at the site," Mohsin said.

Both governments - the federal and provincial - asked participants to continue the jirga initiative for future peace and restoration issues in the province as well. Dawar, in response, emphasized two prerequisites for the credibility of the jirga: lifting the ban on PTM and allowing the October 11th jirga to proceed.

Pakistan's federal government banned the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) last Sunday, citing concerns that the group's activities threatened national peace and security. The government labeled the PTM a "proscribed organization" under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, allegedly due to actions deemed prejudicial to the country's stability.

Binding written agreements

Late last night, KP Chief Minister, Ali Amin Gandapur said while addressing the media that the October 11 Jirga in the Khyber district would proceed as planned, emphasizing his role as host.

"People attending the Jirga will present their demands, and I'll fight their case. It's their right and addressing their concerns is my duty."

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi participating in Grand Jirga organized by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in Peshawar on October 10, 2024.PID

His statement came after what the provincial government claimed a successful meeting with organizers of the October 11 Jirga, including representatives from the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM).

"Our jirga will take place at the same time and place as previously announced and planned," said Manzoor Pashteen - leader of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement - while standing alongside the chief minister during a media briefing following the jirga's conclusion.

A source privy to the CM House jirga proceedings revealed that binding written commitments were made between federal and provincial government representatives before engaging with the PTM.

"These commitments were made to ensure that no party could backtrack afterwards."

Following these, Ali Amin Gandapur personally led the government jirga to Haji Iqtedar Khan's Hujra also known as Insaf House in Jamrud, Khyber merged district where talks were held until late at night.

Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud is a freelance journalist and Director News at The Khorasan Diary covering security issues in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.