In an unprecedented show of tribal unity and civil resistance, thousands of residents of the Tirah Valley in Khyber district took to the rugged terrain demanding an end to militancy in their region. Holding the Holy Quran above their heads as a symbol of peace and moral authority, protesters from the Bar Qambar Khel tribe compelled a rare response from Khawarij commanders (the banned TTP) operating from Afghanistan, who have now pledged to consider the tribe’s demands and requested a short grace period. Tribal elders have agreed to a conditional ceasefire until the 5th of August; warning that if militants do not begin a peaceful withdrawal by then, an even larger mobilisation will follow.
In response, the elders of the Qambar Khel tribe decided to give the militants time until the 5th of the month. They warned that if their demands were not met by then, they would once again take to the streets with unity and determination.
It is worth noting that a massive tribal sit-in was held today in Tirah Valley by the Bar Qambar Khel tribe, attended by thousands of people. Protesters held the Holy Quran above their heads as a sign of peace and solemnity. They called upon the local leadership of the militants present in Tirah Valley to peacefully vacate the area in the interest of establishing peace and protecting the honor and safety of women and children.
Following the unfortunate incident from the previous day, the local tribes chose to respond to militant violence not with bullets, but with unity and a demand for peace. Under the leadership of tribal elder Haji Zahir Shah Afridi, a large and organized sit-in by the Bar Qambar Khel tribe transformed into a protest march that proceeded toward Bhutani. A significant number of students from religious seminaries and schools joined tribal elders in the march.
