Tribal jirga demands ‘decisive action’ against militants following attack on army base in southwest Pakistan

QUETTA: A grand jirga in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Saturday demanded the country’s security forces take “decisive action” against armed groups following a recent attack on an army base in Zhob district that resulted in several hours of fighting, leaving nine soldiers and five militants dead.

A large number of people, including political and tribal leaders from districts Zhob and Sherani, which share porous borders with Afghanistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, participated in the jirga.

“In today’s gathering, all political parties and tribal leaders shared a one-point agenda that the state must take decisive action against terrorist groups and armed fighters present in the region,” said Hafiz Hazrat Gul, a political and tribal leader who was also one of the organizers of the jirga, while speaking to Arab News.

Pakistan’s Balochistan province borders Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. It also has a long coastline on the Arabian Sea. The province is known for its vast gold and copper reserves, but it has also experienced separatist violence and attacks by religious and sectarian groups.

Earlier this week, five militants from Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, a newly formed armed faction, stormed a military facility in Zhob and engaged in a nearly 16-hour-long fight with security forces.

Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, visited the province on Friday to meet the wounded soldiers before leaving on a two-day official visit to Iran.

In an official statement, the army expressed concerns over militant “safe havens” in Afghanistan and threatened an effective response against groups orchestrating attacks in the country.

Malik Amanullah Khan Harifal, the president of the jirga in Zhob, stated that the participants demanded a judicial commission to investigate the recent attack.

“The jirga agreed that security control of Zhob and Sherani districts should be handed over to the Levis and police force,” he added.

Deputy Commissioner Zhob Azeem Khan Kakar described militant violence as an international menace while speaking to Arab News, saying it had severely affected Pakistan and the Balochistan province.

“The Zhob jirga has demanded action against terrorists,” he said. “However, our forces have already been conducting targeted attacks against terrorists and their hideouts in the region.”

“The members of the jirga said this place was peaceful, but recent attacks have raised security concerns,” he continued. “Without the support of the masses, security forces cannot win the war against terrorism.”