PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister for information Shafiullah Jan on Thursday said the provincial government believed in sorting out matters through dialogue but it was only the provincial chief executive who could make decisions for ensuring lasting peace in the province.

He said that a peace jirga had been called at the KP Assembly on Nov 12 to take all stakeholders in the loop about security-related matters so that any decision about it was acceptable to them, paving the way for effective implementation.

“We have the people’s mandate to make decisions. Any decision for lasting peace in the province will be made by the chief minister [Sohail Afridi], and the provincial government will implement them,” Mr Jan told a news conference here.

The chief minister’s aide said that the major challenge faced by the provincial government was the delicate law and order situation in the province as well as on the Afghan border.

Says govt believes in sorting out matters through dialogue; all political parties invited to Nov 12 jirga

He said that lawmakers in the KP Assembly discussed the issue for two months, leading to the formation of a 37-member special parliamentary committee on security with Speaker Babar Saleem Swati as its head and Mr Afridi, Leader of the Opposition Dr Ibadullah and parliamentary heads of political parties as its members.

The minister said that the chief minister phoned heads of all political parties in the province and invited them to the jirga to provide their suggestions on the matter.

He said holding the sitting was important as the KP government was seriously involved to address the issue.

“This will be a historical jirga where representatives of all political parties and tribal elders will give their suggestions. A meeting will also be held with Peshawar’s corps commander,” he said.

The minister said once everything was done, the chief minister would talk to the stakeholders to decide the terms of references.

He said his party was against military operation and would never allow any military offensive against militants in KP.

Mr Jan said that there was no need to bring the 27th Constitutional amendment.

“There is no need to pick up MNAs or Senators. Bring a paper and write whatever you want,” he said.

The minister wondered why Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir didn’t invite political leadership during a recent jirga held with tribesmen.

Mr Swati said that the KP lawmakers were opposed to military operations but an offensive against terrorists was continuing in several districts.

He said operations were being carried out against terrorists for a long time, with the people being dislocated.

The minister also questioned locals displaced despite the presence of 123,000 police personnel, two divisions of armed forces in Waziristan alone and five divisions in others.

He said the province paid the cost of military operations and people’s displacement.

The minister said ToRs would be laid before the government for decision.

MNA Sher Ali Arbab said the law and order situation was bad in the province even after “thousands” of intelligence-based operations had been carried out.

“It is irresponsible for little ministers from the large province to accuse KP’s government and its people for colluding with terrorists merely for opposing a military operation,” he said.

Mr Ali added that if the military operation had failed to achieve objectives, why authorities didn’t move forward through collective wisdom instead of taking decisions behind closed doors.

He said that under Article 7 of the Constitution, which defined the State, the only building on the Khyber Road representing the state was the provincial assembly.

The lawmaker said consultation and consensus was the job of the government or assemblies and not that of civil or military executives.

He said that the province was not in a position to suffer further devastation and that decisions should be taken in the provincial assembly.

PTI provincial general secretary Ali Asghar requested political parties to share their suggestions and represent their people.

“Mr Imran Khan and our party have a clear stand that there should be no military operation. Our party wants a long-term solution so that people are never displaced and they never suffer,” he said.

Mr Asghar also called for measures to bring people and institutions close and said the law and order situation in KP had an impact on the entire country.

Former minister Kamran Bangash said Pakhtun history showed the resolution of issues through jirgas only.

He appreciated the provincial government and assembly for inviting stakeholders to decide the future course of action on law and order.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2025