KHAR: The Salarzai tribe at a grand jirga presented eight key demands to the government and state institutions.Held at the residence of Member Provincial Assembly Anwarzeb Khan, tribal elders Malik Gul Karim Khan and others issued a statement outlining the demands.
They said that the Salarzai tribe had always stood with the state and had remained loyal from the beginning. “Because of our loyalty to the state, we became enemies of terrorists. Therefore, the Salarzai tribe must not be targeted, and the state should reward our loyalty by ensuring our protection,” Gul Karim said.
The jirga declared that the recent drone strike targeting MPA Anwarzeb Khan was an attack on the entire Salarzai tribe. Calling it an unprecedented incident, the elders demanded a judicial inquiry into the drone strike, including an investigation into where the drone came from, who operated it, and measures to prevent such attacks in the future.
The tribe also demanded that weapons confiscated from the Salarzai be returned. They called on authorities to disclose the outcomes of investigations into the terrorists captured by the tribe and handed over to state institutions, who they were and where they came from.
The jirga elders said that if the state was unable to maintain peace, then the security budget should be handed over to the tribe, adding that they could restore peace in Bajaur and even Mohmand within two months.They demanded the withdrawal of cases registered against political workers, including Obaid Salarzai, Saddique Jan, Najeebullah Mamond, Wajid, Rauf and others, and called for an end to the practice of lodging FIRs against locals in other districts. They urged action against extortionists, saying that they operated openly in broad daylight. The jirga declared that any individual or student found involved in extortion or terrorism would be considered an enemy of the entire tribe, along with their family members.
