Paktia govt fails to resolve tribal dispute: elders

GARDEZ (PAN): Tribal elders in southeastern Paktia province on Monday accused the provincial government of committing negligence in resolving a dispute between two warring tribes.

Few days ago, a fresh violence between the rival tribesmen claimed three lives and left as many injured, with tribal elders saying the government had failed to respond to the clash in-time.

Later, the provincial government said a ceasefire agreement had been reached between the two tribes – Mangal and Zazai – through a local jirga. The two tribes have long been in conflict over ownership rights of a land measuring 100 acres in Danda Patan district.

Mohammad Layaq Mangal, a Mangal tribesman and provincial council member, said it were tribal elders who finally resolved the dispute through mediation.

He said the provincial government had been lethargic and negligent in preventing the latest unrest that claimed innocent lives.

Former Helmand Gulab Mangal, who represented Paktia people in the Loya Jirga, said tribal elders were right in their claim. He said the provincial government had failed to properly resolve the tribal dispute.

A spokesman Paktia governor Rohullah Sammon rejected the allegations of tribal elders as far from true. He accused the elders of misleading the masses and taking advantage of their sentiments for next year’s elections.

Analysts the involvement of intelligence agencies of neighbouring countries in fueling the tribal dispute could not be ruled out.

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