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Jirga claims Waziristan peace deal agreed

By Iqbal Khattak

PESHAWAR: A tribal jirga in North Wazirristan claimed on Saturday to have brokered a peace deal between tribal militants and the government, but a government spokesman denied knowledge of this.

Jirga member Malik Nasrullah told Daily Times that both sides – the Taliban and the government — had agreed to a proposed deal.

Nasrullah’s statement, however, left spokesman for NWFP Governor’s Secretariat Shah Zaman Khan stunned. “Talks are in progress. I have nothing else to say about the jirga member’s statement to the media,” Zaman told Daily Times.

Nasrullah said the Taliban and the government would sign the deal at Governor’s House in Peshawar early next week, probably September 5, and details would be released to the media soon afterwards. He refused to give more information. He did not say if he was disclosing the news in an individual capacity or on behalf of the jirga.

The government has already met most of the Taliban demands and released around 200 prisoners, and in return, it wants the local militants not to cross into Afghanistan and stop attacks on government installations in Waziristan. A 45-member jirga undertook the mission to broker a peace deal between the two parties in the third week of July, after the Taliban announced a unilateral ceasefire for a month to facilitate negotiations with the government.

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