Jirga convened by KP CM decides on holding talks with Centre, other stakeholders over drone attacks

PESHAWAR: A tribal gathering convened by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday decided that a jirga will be formed to hold talks with the federal government and other stakeholders on drone attacks in the province.

In the past few days, CM Afridi has condemned “persistent drone attacks” in KP, even hinting at introducing legislation to criminalise collateral damage in such incidents.

On Saturday, a “loya (grand) jirga” was held at CM House, where tribal elders had been invited to decide the future course of action.

According to a statement issued by CM House, all participants of the loya jirga demanded “negotiations with stakeholders”, and therefore, it was decided to give talks “another chance”.

It was decided that a smaller jirga will be formed, which will hold talks with the federal government and other stakeholders. “If negotiations fail, a march towards Islamabad will be undertaken, and there will be no return until peace is secured,” the statement read.

The CM House statement further said that the jirga will also “struggle for the financial and Constitutional rights” promised to the tribal districts at the time of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas’ (Fata) merger.

“When Fata was merged, a promise was made to give us Rs100 billion annually. For the merged districts, this amounts to Rs800bn, of which only Rs168bn have been given,” Afridi was quoted as saying, noting that if the population share of the merged districts was included, KP’s share in the National Finance Commission Award would increase from 14.6 per cent to 19pc.

The loss of lives of women, children and elders in drone attacks was strongly condemned during the gathering, the CM House statement said.

CM Afridi also “expressed deep regret over the improper conduct towards jirga members at checkpoints today”, stating that such an attitude was breeding hatred among the people.

“Starting today, practical measures will be taken to prevent drone attacks,” the statement announced. It noted that “miscreant elements attempted to re-enter Malakand but were rejected by the people”, calling on the residents of the tribal districts to also rise for peace.

The statement quoted CM Afridi as saying that “22 major military operations and over 14,000 intelligence-based operations have failed to establish peace”.

“The failure to achieve peace despite having all the resources is alarming … if these resources were handed over to me, I guarantee peace within 100 days,” he said.

The KP CM said the tribal youth were “being pushed toward provocation so they can be targeted”, adding that the people would keep up their “struggle for peace under all circumstances”.

“We have the right to self-defence against those who do not uphold the law and the Constitution,” the chief minister noted.

He also recalled that in the first cabinet meeting chaired by him on Nov 14, 2025, a decision was made to repeal the Actions (in Aid of Civil Power) Regulation 2011, which had been extended to the entire KP in 2019.

CM Afridi claimed that “970 individuals, whom they call terrorists, are being held in various detention centres without anyone’s knowledge”, adding that the KP government had sent letters seeking their names but “received no response”.

“If a list of those in custody exists, a complete account of every person can be maintained,” he emphasised.

Addressing a cabinet meeting on Friday, CM Afridi had expressed his intention to protest against drone attacks in his province, saying that these attacks were resulting in “collateral damage”.

On Tuesday, CM Afridi had convened a meeting of lawmakers from the merged districts at CM House, where it was decided that the issue would be taken up in the KP Assembly. The meeting had been organised by Afridi following a drone strike in his native Khyber district, which claimed the life of a minor girl and injured six members of a family a day earlier. The family of the slain girl held a protest in Peshawar near the Hayatabad toll plaza, and were dispersed by violent police action.

Subsequently, at a KP Assembly session on Thursday, Afridi questioned the results of military operations during the last 20 years and hinted at legislation to curb collateral damage.

“We held a meeting on bringing a law against drone attacks, but ‘they’ have protected themselves in the Constitution against drone attacks … However, we can legislate against collateral damage,” he said, without specifying further.