PESHAWAR: The Pakhtun Tahafuz Movement has handed over a long list of its nominees to the reconciliatory jirga for negotiations with the state institutions.

The list carries 30 names, including PTM leaders, sitting and former parliamentarians and rights activists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Fata.

Surprisingly, the name of Manzoor Pashteen, who spearheads the social movement, is not part of it.

“As a policy, the name of Manzoor Pashteen is not included in the list,” senior PTM leader Mohsin Dawar told Dawn here on Saturday.

He said the nominees’ consent was sought before their nomination.

The self-declared head of the reconciliatory jirga and MNA, Shah Jee Gul Afridi, confirmed that he’d received the names of the PTM nominees.

He said the names would be sent to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra for notification.

Movement leader says talks with state institutions after Eid

Mr Afridi said members of the jirga would facilitate talks between the PTM and the government.

He said formal talks between state institutions and PTM would begin after Eidul Fitr.

The MNA said the reconciliatory jirga would comprise 10 people.

The PTM nominees are Ali Wazir, Mohsin Dawar, Bushra Gohar, Nawab Ayaz, Usman Kakar, Ghulam Qadir, Lateef Afridi, Afrasiab Khattak, Sher Mohammad advocate, Raza Muhammad Raza, Fanus Gujjar, Saleem Advocate, Abdullah Nangyal, Amin Wazir, Syed Alam Mehsud, Nisar Mohmand, Ahmad Abbas Aurakzai, Khan Zaman Kakar, Ismat Shah Jahan, Noor Hameed, Ulas Yar, Sana Ijaz, Liaquat Yusafzai, Prof Ijaz, Fazal advocate, Hashim Mandokhel, Sher Mehsud, Shah Faisal, Allauddin and Gul Marjan.

The PTM has already held three rounds of talks with the members of the reconciliatory jirga but they remained inconclusive.

After three rounds of talks, the movement finally agreed to nominate their representatives for formal negotiations.

The PTM has been calling for the formation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission to look into the issues of affected Pakhtun families.

Initially, it presented five demands to the government including ill-treatment of commuters at checkposts, release of missing persons, arrest of Rao Anwar in Naqeebullah murder case, and clearance of landmines from conflict-hit areas in North and South Waziristan agencies.

Later, the PTM expedited its protest movement and expanded the list of their demands.

It also held rallies across the country to pressure the state institutions to meet its demands.

The PTM recently demanded justice for the families of the victims of the Army Public School Peshawar massacre.

Its leaders had proposed to the reconciliatory jirga to set up a broad-based jirga to resolve the problems and difficulties of Pakhtuns across the country.

Mohsin Dawar said initially, the PTM had five demands but the demand list later grew bigger. “Now, we want a truth and reconciliation commission to address all issues facing Pakhtuns in the country,” he said.

Mr Dawar said thousands of people had been missing and only 200 to 300 such people had so far reached home.

He said the proposed truth and reconciliatory commission should get the task to look into the target killings, demolition of houses and other problems.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2018