KP assembly asks Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan to return to Afghanistan

Residents of Pakistan's Bajaur district have convened a jirga calling on Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters to leave the area and return to Afghanistan, a move that underscores growing public frustration over violence and insecurity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as per Khaama Press.

The peace gathering, reported by Dawn newspaper, took place on Friday, August 1. Community elders and leaders urged the militants to consult with their commanders in Afghanistan before providing a response to the jirga's demand.

According to reports, several TTP members were present during the jirga, highlighting an unusual but direct dialogue between locals and the fighters who have long disrupted daily life in the region.

The jirga followed new movement restrictions imposed by Pakistani security forces in Bajaur, part of efforts to contain escalating clashes and restore order in areas affected by militancy.

Local residents used the meeting to publicly voice their support for the security forces and to call for the withdrawal of militants, insisting that peace and stability must take priority, as per Khaama Press.

Community elders, political representatives, party officials, and activists from the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) were also in attendance, adding weight and legitimacy to the jirga's message.

This was not the first such initiative. A similar jirga held earlier in Tirah made the same plea for TTP fighters to leave, showing a widening grassroots movement across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa demanding an end to the group's presence.

Despite Pakistan's claims that TTP leadership operates from across the border, the Taliban continues to deny hosting the group's leaders or fighters, as per Khaama Press.

The repeated calls from local jirgas signal a crucial shift; communities battered by militancy are no longer waiting for state action alone -- they are pressing militants directly, seeking to reclaim safety, stability, and control over their own future. (ANI)