PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Ameen Gandapur has agreed to present the Bannu jirga demands to the KP Apex Committee, which includes both military and political leadership to coordinate security matters.
The jirga meeting, held at the Chief Minister’s House and presided over by Gandapur, was attended by around 60 elders and members of the Bannu jirga. Key officials, including the Chief Secretary, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Regional Police Officer (RPO) Bannu, Commissioner, and Deputy Commissioner, were also present.
The Bannu jirga, formed to address the Bannu incident, presented their demands to Gandapur. Jirga president Nasir Khan Bangash stated that the Chief Minister listened to Bannu jirga demands and assured that a meeting of the provincial Apex Committee would be convened within 48 hours to discuss them. Five representatives from the jirga will participate in the Apex Committee meeting.
Bangash noted that the sit-in protest in Bannu will continue, and on Friday, Gandapur will visit Bannu to present the Apex Committee’s decision to the protest participants. Once the decision is presented, the sit-in protest will be called off.
Barrister Saif, spokesperson for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister, stated that a meeting of the Bannu Peace Committee was held at the Chief Minister’s House. Gandapur interacted with the Peace Committee members, discussing the situation in Bannu and the issue of terrorism. He thanked the Peace Committee for their cooperation in restoring peace and order in Bannu.
It was decided that the KP Apex Committee meeting will be held on Thursday to discuss all matters related to terrorism and formulate a policy to restore peace and security in the province. All members of the Peace Committee expressed confidence in the Chief Minister and invited him to visit Bannu. The symbolic sit-in protest in Bannu will continue until his visit on Friday.
In a previous video statement, the Chief Minister revealed that some armed individuals, claiming to be government officials and associated with government agencies, were identified in the Apex Committee meeting. There are serious concerns regarding the activities of these armed people among the public, government, and police.
Earlier on Saturday, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had announced to form a judicial commission to investigate the outbreak of violence at a Bannu Peace March, which turned into a sit-in after the incident.
