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Pashtun institutions under attack
The kula (a traditional Pashtun cap made of straw) means everything to Malik Waris Khan Afridi, and the front-page photo of a kula lying in the dirt in the Monday editions of several national dailies has shaken him.The photo shows the kula - a symbol of respect for Pashtuns lying on the ground while tribesmen look on after a suicide attack on a jirga in Darra Adam Khel on Sunday. Many of the dead tribal elders were wearing the kula when the attack happened. The cap, which is worn by tribes in Mohmand, Bajaur, Kurram, Orakzai and Khyber agencies, is seen as a symbol of the Pashtun institution of jirga. On Sunday, the leading elders of fives tribes in Darra Adam Khel were to draft a peace treaty when a young suicide bomber stepped in and killed 40 people. The attack came two days after a suicide bombing at the funeral of a slain police officer, which left more than 50 dead. Threatened: The jirga and the mosque are two institutions of Pashtun society and both are under attack, Afridi told Daily Times. He said the attack is a conspiracy to destroy peace. Peace will never return to Pashtun areas if jirgas are abolished, Afridi said, adding, The jirga and mosque represent peace in Pashtun society and their absence will endanger the very concept of peace. He said he did not think the Taliban were behind the attacks. Syed Wazir of the Qaumi Tehreek in Darra Adam Khel said that the attack had left the Pashtun nation wounded, its leadership martyred and its people senseless. He said the delay in acting against militants in the region had shown negligence on the part of the tribal people. Total humiliation: Tribal elder Muhammad Ali Halimzai of Mohmand Agency expressed concern at the deteriorating security situation in Pashtun areas. However, he said he had high hopes that the Awami National Party would save the Pashtun institutions from total humiliation. I think it is ANPs responsibility to come to the rescue of the Pashtun nation at a time when the Great Game is being played on our soil, he said by phone from Mohmand Agencys Ghalanai. However, a senior researcher at the Area Study Centre of the University of Peshawar said Sundays attack would not undermine the institution of the jirga. The Pashtuns cannot be bogged down by attacks such as the one on Sunday, said Azmat Hayat, director of the centre. He said the mastermind behind the attacks needed to be found, as this was an organised (wave of) attacks. Caretaker Federal Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz said in a TV interview that the perception that the US, India and Afghanistan were involved in suicide attacks in Pakistan was fast gaining momentum in the country. Posted by: Fred 2008-03-04 |
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