Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has said tribal elders must be taken along in efforts to ensure lasting peace and development in the province’s merged districts.

Addressing a delegation of 110 prominent tribal elders and community leaders from the merged districts at the Governor House in Peshawar on Thursday, Kundi said the tribal elders had a centuries-old history of sacrifices and had served as protectors of the country’s western borders.

He said the objectives of eliminating underdevelopment and achieving peace and development in the merged districts had yet to be fully achieved.

“The security situation in the merged districts remains concerning, while the goal of ending underdevelopment has also not been fully achieved,” Kundi said.

He added that tribal elders had made significant sacrifices for the country’s security and sovereignty, particularly during the war against terrorism. Hundreds of tribal elders had lost their lives, he said, adding that both the federal and provincial governments owed them a debt of gratitude.

Kundi said tribal elders had played an important role from the British era to the present day. Although their traditional role was reduced after the merger of the former FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018, they continued to contribute to peacebuilding and dispute resolution as a moral responsibility.

He said the federal and provincial governments should now benefit from the experience and services of tribal elders in promoting peace, development and conflict resolution in the merged districts and give them an appropriate role in decision-making.

Leading the delegation, Malik Bismillah Khan Kuki Khel said tribal people, particularly tribal elders, had not been effectively consulted at the time of the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said the benefits of the merger had neither reached the tribal population nor produced the expected gains for the province.

Bismillah Khan said tribal elders had been demanding for the past eight years either restoration of the former status of FATA or a separate administrative status for the merged districts.

Also Read : PTI’s Sept 27 Long March: CCPO Issues Key Directives for Police Personnel

He also questioned the utilisation of funds promised for the development of the merged districts, saying the federal government had committed to providing Rs100 billion annually at the time of the merger.

“Tribal people want an account of where these funds were spent, as no significant change is visible on the ground,” he said.

He demanded that, regardless of whether new provinces were created, the former status of FATA should be restored or a separate administrative status should be granted to the merged districts. He also called for legal protection for the jirga system and a clear constitutional and legal role for tribal elders.

Other tribal elders at the meeting expressed their commitment to continuing their role in promoting peace, development and national security and called for greater recognition of their services and contribution.