PESHAWAR: Amid a rapidly deteriorating security situation in North and South Waziristan districts, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to take along parliamentary parties in the provincial assembly as well as tribal elders to devise a strategy for lastingpeace in the tribal districts reeling under terrorism.

Officials told Dawn that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur chaired a meeting on Tuesday night, which lasted over 90 minutes, in which it was decided to convene a multi-party meeting to be attended by the heads of all parliamentary parties on Monday. This sitting would be followed by a PTI parliamentary party meeting on the same day.

`Apart from these two meetings, the provincial government has also decided to hold another meeting and to engage tribal elders along with other stakeholders in order to overcome the law and order situation,` officials said. Following these meet-ings, government delegations would be constituted to visit tribal districts, the officials said, adding that the invitations for the meeting were being sent.

When contacted, the chief minister`s adviser on information, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, confirmed the development, saying the government intended to consult public representatives and stakeholders to devise a strategy for lasting peace in the region.

`I will not say the situation is volatile, but there is unrest among people against the Taliban (Tehreek-iTaliban Pakistan), with tribesmen from North Waziristan already holding a sit-in for peace while those fromSouth Waziristan planning to hold a sit-in today [July 10],` Barrister Saif told Dawn. He said the protesters included people from all walks of life and from almost all political parties. He stated that some people had expressed concern over a military operation in their areas, calling such an action an extreme step.

`Now this is the reason we want to take everybody along like all the stakeholders, including political parties, locals, tribal elders and others, so that they come up with their proposals and then those proposals along with suggestions from the government, are deliberated upon,` the CM`s aide said.

`The provincial government wants to develop a consensus. Like, whatever the government does for lasting peace, [it] should have public and political support,` he added.

Meanwhile, a statement issued from the chief minister`s secretariat read that the meeting was held to review the law and order situation in the merged districts with a special focus on North and South Waziristan.

It said that the meeting decided to formulate a joint and consensus-based strategy involving all schools of thought and segments of the population to eliminate militancy.

CM Gandapur emphasised that the prevailing circum-stances demanded that all political parties set aside their differences and unite on a single platform to work towards restoring peace and security and urged elected representatives to speak with one voice and implement a unified strategy for the eradication of terrorism.

He further stated that lasting peace could only be achieved through meaningful action, mutual consultation, and collective decisionmaking.

Last week, thousands of people gathered in Mirali to protest an anticipated military operation in the area. In December last year, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly unanimously passed a joint resolution against potential military action in parts of Khyber and Bannu districts.