Zabul governor prefers jirgas over courts to resolve disputes

KABUL (Pajhwok): The governor of southern Zabul province has asked people to resolve their disputes through local jirgas instead of courts.

“I have told people to get their disputes resolved by local jirgas because their decisions are acceptable to both sides,” Khiyal Mohammad Hussaini told reporters in Qalat, the capital of Zabul province.

The governor said court decisions took a long time and were often disagreed with by one party or the other. “But decisions reached in local jirgas are always accepted by both parties,” he added.

Hussaini, who took over as the governor of Zabul two months back, was a member of Parliament from Ghazni province.

Provincial Council head Atta Jan claimed people approached Taliban instead of local jirgas to resolve their issues.

He said the judicial system was active in two out of 10 districts, leaving a wide space for the Taliban to run a parallel judiciary.

Jan said massive corruption in the judicial system had left people with no option but to reach out to the Taliban for solution to their disputes.

Rohullah, a tribal elder, said local jirgas had historically resolved people’s disputes in an effective way.

Local judicial officials could not be reached for comment on the matter.

nh/ma