Government and opposition unite against civilian victims of both terrorism and drone warfare
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Photo:
In a rare show of political unity, a joint jirga led by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday unanimously condemned the continued drone strikes in tribal districts and decided to convene a series of meetings on the issue.
The jirga, which included both government and opposition lawmakers representing tribal districts, was told that the relentless drone strikes continued to cause repeated civilian casualties and damage to local property.
Participants agreed that the current situation was no longer tolerable, with innocent lives lost to both terrorism and drone attacks. They agreed to hold a special session of the provincial assembly on Thursday, a cabinet meeting on Friday and a grand tribal jirga at the Chief Minister House on Saturday.
Addressing the meeting, CM Afridi stated that civilian deaths from both terrorism and drone strikes were unacceptable. “People in tribal areas cannot be forced to pay double the price for the way they live,” he said. “Neither terrorism nor civilian deaths in drone attacks can be justified.”
The jirga rejected the recurring pattern of civilian deaths seen as errors. The deputies stated that attacking innocent citizens under the pretext of making mistakes must be stopped immediately.
“Despite modern technology, the continued loss of innocent lives due to so-called mistakes is unacceptable under any circumstances,” Afridi added. “Apologies cannot compensate for the lives lost. The damage is irreparable.”
Read: Jirga demands end to border hostilities
The Prime Minister announced the postponement of his visit to Lahore in light of the situation. He warned that the province cannot afford greater instability and emphasized that “decision makers must understand that the blood of our people is not cheap.”
During the jirga it was revealed that Rs 26 billion has been allocated to the Anti-Terrorism Department and the Special Branch this year to further strengthen the province’s counter-terrorism capacity.
The jirga concluded with a consensus to adopt a joint strategy that transcends political affiliations, promising unified action against both terrorism and extrajudicial drone attacks.
