Tribal jirga rejects Azm-e-Istehkam: Fazl

Peshawar
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), has rejected the government’s decision to launch an operation against terrorists and extremists, stating that the tribal jirga also declared the “Azm-e-Istehkam” operation as destabilising and expressed no confidence in it. In a media briefing following a tribal jirga in Peshawar on Thursday, Fazl explained that the jirga was convened before the Azm-e-Istehkam operation decision made by the government and that it was not on the agenda.
However, the jirga deemed the operation destabilising and expressed its lack of confidence in it.

He pointed out that armed groups have spread to several areas, controlling traffic and setting up checkpoints, with police in the southern districts avoiding leaving their stations at night.

Fazl highlighted the sacrifices made by the people of Swat, who were displaced from their homes. “Youth have become unemployed, and women are begging. Those whose homes were completely destroyed were given token compensation of 400,000 rupees, but they have not received the money yet,” he said.