ISLAMABAD, 27 June 2007 — Members of the National Assembly and the Senate from the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) boycotted the grand assembly of tribal leaders presided over by President Pervez Musharraf in Peshawar yesterday.
Sen. Habibullah Khan from Khyber Agency told Arab News, “We have boycotted the grand assembly (jirga) to protest frequent attacks by foreign forces in tribal areas.” Only one federal minister from the tribal region G.G. Jamal attended the assembly with provincial Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai.
Sen. Habibullah Khan said it was for the first time in history that tribal leaders refused to attend a jirga called by the president of Pakistan. He said 18 legislators boycotted the meeting.
President Musharraf urged the participants to help the government expel foreign militants from the region.
Referring to the forthcoming Pak-Afghan grand jirga, Musharraf said it would have a broad-based representation. The jirga would be tasked with evolving a comprehensive political strategy for settlement of disputes and maintenance of public order on both sides of the border, he said. “This is a viable option to ensure prosperity and development in tribal areas,” he said.
