Waziristan youth for resolving disputes through dialogue,

Islamabad , 18th July: In an unprecedented move, thousands of students took a “Peace March” in Shakai tehsil of South Waziristan and stressed the government to find out a peaceful and negotiated settlement to the disputes in the valley as the bloodshed could not only put their future at risk but could also sabotage the hard-won peace in the area.
It is pertinent to mention here that two main tribes of the valley: Sperkai and Khujal Khel have been involved in long-running land dispute, in which both the tribes suffered huge human losses.
Despite, no tangible and permanent solution has been find out to their disputed land hitherto due to which two weeks ago people of both the tribes again resorted to firing in which several people sustained injuries.
Following the incident, the situation in the scenic Shakai valley is quite tense for the last around 15 days as numerous Jirgas held several rounds of talks to find out solution to the dispute but they are yet to break the deal.
Therefore, sensing the gravity of the fast soaring security situation in the region, the schools and seminaries students of two tehsils including Shakai and Tiarza decided to take the “Shakai Peace March” in which around 5000 people participated as the educated youths also joined them in order to press the concern quarters to ensure peaceful resolution to their local disputes mainly related to the land.
The minor students from primary to high schools and maddaris of both the tehsils were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans “We want Peace Not war”, “Local disputes should be resolved through parleys” and “Government should play its role to resolve tribal disputes peacefully”.
Speaking on the occasion, they said that Shakai remained the most peaceful teshsil during the whole troubled time after inking historical “Shakai Agreement”, but such tribal disputes could sabotage the hard-maintained peaceful environment of the area.
Owing to the war on terror and the subsequent military operations, the tribal region in general and South Waziristan in particular were badly affected, where people were forced to leave their homes; however in such critical situation, tehsil Shakai remained the most peaceful area in the region.
However, the peaceful security situation could be disturbed in the area due to the unresolved land dispute issues between various tribes mainly due to the government and other relevant quarters’ inactive role to find out peaceful and amicable solution to such disputes.
They demanded that the government should play its due role to resolve the disputes because if god forbid fight erupted once again it could cause huge men and martial loss.
They expressed their surprise that despite abolishment of the draconian law Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) and the extension of judicial and police system in the wake of the merger of the tribal districts to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial government seemed nowhere to play its role to resolve the fast soaring issues in the area.
The minor students were of the view that when they went to schools they are scared as if fight erupted between the two tribes, who are still in morchas despite occasional ceasefire for few days, what will they do and in such tense situation even our parents are reluctant to send us to schools and madrassa.
Why dispute still prevail when the region has been given under the South Waziristan administration, said a curious student.
They urged their elders to vacate the ‘morchas’ and shun the culture of finding solution to every problems through fight and guns and advised them to sit and find out peaceful and amicable solution to all their mutual problems as they are fed up of the culture of feuds and wars and would not tolerate them anymore.
The educated youth and teachers were also participated in the march and expressed solidarity with minor souls for their historical, courageous and unprecedented initiative and held them out their assurance that they are standby them and would not let the elders to sabotage the peaceful environment of the area and also urged the government, army, police and judiciary to play their role to resolve the issues instead of playing a role of silent spectators.