The jirga declared that Pashtuns were victims of
Pakistan's war on terror since 2002, with 60,000 out of the 70,000
Pakistanis killed being Pashtuns. "In the current situation, Pashtuns have over 8,000
missing youth," remarked Manzoor Pashteen. Power over resources,
women's rights, and the status of
Pashto and other
native languages in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and
Balochistan were discussed, and a united Pashtun province comprising Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, North Balochistan and
Mianwali was proposed. The participants demanded that a representative government be formed in Afghanistan through a loya jirga and
general election that is in line with all international standards. The jirga expressed concerns over Afghanistan's
humanitarian crisis, appealed to the international community to help the
Afghans, and denounced the
barbed barrier along the
Durand Line. The jirga also demanded the immediate release of all
political prisoners including
Ali Wazir.[6][7][8]
Background
At the funeral of
Usman Kakar in
Muslim Bagh on 23 June 2021, Mahmood Khan Achakzai announced in his speech that he would convene a jirga in Bannu within three months to discuss the major problems affecting Pashtuns, such as insecurity and power over their resources, and to find solutions. The jirga was later postponed until 11 March 2022.[2]
Non-Pashtun leaders were also welcome to join the jirga in Bannu. At the inauguration of the jirga, Achakzai stated: "The
Gujjar have come to this jirga, people of
Gilgit have come, and everyone who lives with us in our region is our brother [or sister]."[9]
Previous Pashtun Jirgas
Bacha Khan Markaz and Hashtnagar Jirgas
The Bannu Jirga endorsed the declarations of two earlier Pashtun Jirgas, one of which was organized on 10 March 2020 at Bacha Khan Markaz,
Peshawar by
Asfandyar Wali Khan of the
Awami National Party (ANP),[10][11] while the other was hosted on 7 August 2021 in
Hashtnagar,
Charsadda by
Afzal Khamosh of the
Mazdoor Kisan Party (MKP).[12][13] These jirgas, both of which issued their 21-point declarations, were held to discuss the state of law and order, instability in the
Pashtun region, natural resources, the trust gap between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the reopening of trade routes between the two countries. The jirgas also discussed problems of the displaced and homeless people, blocked identity cards, censuses,
land mines and
missing persons.[14]
All Pashtun Jirga in Islamabad
On 1 February 2018, when his Pashtun Long March that had started six days earlier at
Dera Ismail Khan, reached
Islamabad after passing through several cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including
Bannu,
Peshawar and
Swabi,
Manzoor Pashteen organized a 10-day
sit-in called "All Pashtun National Jirga" outside the
National Press Club in Islamabad. It was during this jirga that the name of the "
Mahsud Tahafuz Movement" (MTM) was changed to the "
Pashtun Tahafuz Movement" (PTM). The jirga condemned the murder of the Pashtun labourer and aspiring model,
Naqeebullah Mehsud, who was shot dead by police force in
Karachi during an encounter, and the alleged state oppression against the Pashtuns.[15] It asked the government to set up a
judicial inquiry for Naqeebullah Mehsud, as well as for all the other Pashtuns murdered
extrajudicially in
police encounters. The jirga demanded to stop
racial profiling of the Pashtuns in Pakistan, and to bring the Pashtun missing persons before the court of law, so that those who are innocent but held could be freed.[16] The jirga also demanded
Pakistan Army to guarantee that they would not
abduct or open fire on innocents in the tribal areas, or use violence or
collective punishment against entire villages and tribes, and that they would not impose the frequent
curfews on the movement of locals after minor incidents.[17] Another demand was to remove all land mines planted in the Pashtun tribal areas, which had resulted in many civilian casualties. The protesters said that since 2009, more than 35 people including children had been killed due to land mines in
South Waziristan alone.[18][19][20]
The sit-in in Islamabad ended on 10 February, but the organizers of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement announced that they would reconvene the protest if their demands were not fulfilled by the government.[21]
Afzal Khan Lala's Jirgas
In the 1990s, a similar series of Pashtun Jirgas was started by
Afzal Khan Lala of
Swat.[22] The last of Afzal Khan Lala's Pashtun Jirgas was held in May 2012 at
Nishtar Hall, Peshawar to campaign for the national unity of Pashtuns and protest the deaths of millions of Afghans in the
war-battered Afghanistan.[23]
The choice of Bannu for hosting the jirga had historical significance. On 21 June 1947, the city was host to the
Bannu Resolution, in which Pashtun politicians demanded that the
British Empire give them the option of independence for
Pashtunistan, comprising all Pashtun territories in
British India, rather than making them join the new
Dominion of Pakistan.[24]
The city was also home to the
Faqir of Ipi (Mirzali Khan) during his student life, who would later lead a
guerilla fight against the British Empire and Pakistan from his base in
Gurwek,
North Waziristan.
The 25 points
During the concluding session on 14 March 2022, the Pashtun National Jirga demanded that:
This representative Pashtun National Jirga be an independent entity. In order to implement its decisions and objectives, a committee of cooperation and coordination be set up, and sub-committees be set up under the supervision of that committee. A sub-committee be formed for reconciliation in the
Pashtun tribal areas;
The formulation and implementation of Pakistan's domestic and foreign policies be done only through an elected parliament;
An elected government representing all peoples be established in Afghanistan through a loya jirga and
general election, and the
forcible overthrow of future Afghan governments be considered illegal and
betrayal of the Afghan nation. A democratic system that conforms to modern world standards be implemented;
The Afghan people affected by the humanitarian crisis of Afghanistan be helped by the
United Nations and the neighboring countries, and
Afghan refugees and homeless people be treated lawfully and humanely;
A united national province comprising
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, North Balochistan and
Isakhel be created. Until the formation of that province, equality between the Pashtuns and
Balochs be recognized in all spheres of life in the province of
Balochistan;
A
truth and reconciliation commission be set up for the war raging in the Pakhtunkhwa region for decades, and a fact-finding mission be set up under the auspices of the Jirga. An inquiry committee be formed to probe the killing of Pashtuns on
12 May 2007 in Karachi;
An inquiry into the killings of
Usman Kakar,
Arif Wazir,
Arman Loni, Asad Achakzai and other national martyrs be conducted by a credible judicial commission headed by Justice
Qazi Faez Isa, and the report be made public;
The national right of the Pashtun people over all natural resources of the Pakhtunkhwa region be recognized. The provisions of the Pakistani constitution be implemented in real sense, and
oil refineries be built in the Pakhtunkhwa province;
The Pakistani-built
barbed barrier along the
Durand Line be removed, and all historical trade routes on the line be ensured without any paperwork or documents for trade and free movement of the people living on both sides of the line;
The occupation of the forests, mountains, lands, natural resources, government buildings and non-government buildings in the Pakhtunkhwa region be ended immediately by the military and government agencies;
Land mines scattered in the Pashtun region be cleared;
Pashto be made the national, official and educational language of the Pakhtunkhwa region, and all mother tongues of the Pakhtunkhwa region be made
mediums of instruction. The central government return the curriculum authority to the provinces under the
Eighteenth Amendment, and the implementation of a Single National Curriculum be avoided at all costs;
Women's participation in political, economic and cultural affairs, as well as their participation in the enactment of laws and the prevention of negative traditional practices, be guaranteed;
An independent, transparent and inclusive mechanism be made for a new census in Pakistan in accordance with international norms, because the results of the
2017 Census were fake;
The
Senate of Pakistan be given the same powers as the
National Assembly in finance and other matters, and elections to the Senate be made by direct vote;
The Indus Water Apportionment Accord of 1991 be revised to grant the Pakhtunkhwa region a status of owner and stakeholder;
The
Indus River be rerouted to its natural watercourse, because the diversion of the Indus from its original course under the pretext of the
Ghazi-Barotha canal was unconstitutional and a clear transgression against universal principles;
The imposed declared and undeclared sanctions on political activities be lifted, and
Ali Wazir, Hanif Pashteen, Owais Abdal, Qazi Tahir and all other
political prisoners be immediately released;
The
Chashma Lift Canal be immediately constructed;
The Pashto language, history,
literature and arts be protected from the danger of extinction due to the 40 years of war and the colonial aggression, tyranny and occupation. The negative portrayal of the Pashtuns and Afghans through the anti-Pashtun state and private media be immediately stopped;
Tobacco be considered an agricultural crop like any other crop;
The draconian Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Action (in Aid of Civil Power) Regulation be immediately abolished, and all the safety, security and administrative powers be handed over to the civil administration;
The money owed by the
federal government to the Pakhtunkhwa province in terms of electricity, water, natural gas and other resources be immediately paid.[25][26][7][27][28][29]
Reactions
Afghan government
Former
Afghan PresidentHamid Karzai praised the jirga, calling it a positive beginning toward resolving issues in the region. He stated: "This jirga is an efficient step towards solving issues in Afghanistan and in the region and I support its statement. I also appreciate
women’s participation in the jirga and the jirga’s call for securing women’s political, economic and cultural rights."[6][30]
Former Afghan Vice President
Amrullah Saleh and former Foreign Minister
Haneef Atmar also supported the jirga. They said that the proposal that an elected and representative government be formed in Afghanistan through a loya jirga and general election was a bold and pleasant move.[5][31]
Pakistani government
Responding to the jirga's statement,
Muhammad Ali Saif, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, categorically denied that Pashtuns were subjected to discrimination in Pakistan. He claimed that the
Pakistan Army played no political role in the country's administrative affairs. In response to the demand for
Ali Wazir's release, Saif stated that he could not be immediately released because there were "still cases pending in the courts against Ali Wazir."[32][33]