Provincial body being formed to resolve disputes in southeast’

GARDEZ (Pajhwok): Acting interior minister has said a special committee would be created to resolve disputes among ethnic groups in the southeastern zone of the country.

Sirajuddin Haqqani made the remarks at a meeting to resolve a long running dispute between two tribes in Sarukhel area of Garda Cheri district of Paktia province.

He said, "Conflicts over land and forests between tribes occur in the southeastern zone from time to time, but in order to resolve these disputes, a special commission should be set up within the government as soon as possible.”

He added that disputes in some parts of the country, which ran for decades, had been resolved through the efforts of the Islamic Emirate.

Haqqani thanked leaders of the two tribes for ending their 70-year-old enmity and said that the two tribes would live in peace and brotherhood.

Residents of the area were happy that the dispute has been resolved.

RozaddinZadran, a tribal elder from Paktia said: “The dispute started around 70 years ago after a person from Sarukhel tribe mistakenly killed a person from Sultakhel tribe, but the dispute remained unsolved despite efforts in the last several years, but today a big council (Jirga) mediated the two parties and resolved their dispute.”

He said they were grateful to the government, particularly to Sirajuddin Haqqani, for their efforts in resolving this enmity.

Zadran said that in the past years, there had been many disputes between the two tribes in every aspect which had created problems for the common people. But he said that there will be no longer such problems in the future.

There are inter-ethnic disputes in the southeastern provinces which remain unresolved for years.

mds/ma