Pakistan: Jirga to settle Darra coal mines dispute under Shariah

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In order to quell tribal feuds, a jirga in Pakistan decided to demarcate land on the basis of Shariah which was held under the auspices of the local administration, reported Dawn.

There is a land demarcation dispute between warring tribes of the Sunnikhel and Akhorwal tribes in the Kohat district.

The warring tribes of the Darra Adamkhel tribal subdivision announced that the matter would be decided on the basis of Shariah in six months, reported Dawn.

Darra assistant commissioner Ashrafuddin said that the armed men of the Sunnikhel and Akhorwal tribes would vacate their positions in the mountains and adhere to a ceasefire immediately.

The army had on Monday referred the matter to the local administration after lengthy talks with the representatives of the two tribes and local elders, reported Dawn.

Notably, coal mines were discovered in the Akhorwal area of Darra Adam Khel, which is home to the two tribes.
Since there was no agreement on how the mines or the resultant revenue would be shared, the coal mine issue was pending for years.

The Akhorwal tribe had encroached upon the coal mines of the Sunnikhel tribe, and also constructed an illegal ‘fort’ there.

Another local official, Azam Khan said that the Sunnikhel tribe had a pre-partition graveyard and houses on the occupied land demarcated by the elders from both sides.

The jirga said that members from both sides would be nominated, whose decision would be binding on the warring tribes, reported Dawn.

When contacted, local tehsildar Muslim Afridi said that dispute over ownership of coal mines had started in 2019, and tensions flared up on Saturday after both the tribes started firing at each other’s positions. The army had to intervene to stop the crossfire.

The army officials also held talks with the members of the tribes on Monday. However, it was reported that both the tribes had refused to accept the solutions offered by the army and the local administration, reported Dawn.