Fazl accused of not inviting Mehsuds, Maliks to APC

Expressing concern over the All Parties Conference (APC) being convened on February 28, to evolve consensus in the light of traditional tribal Jirga to hold formal talks with Taliban, the elders of Mehsud tribe said that Chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rahman has neither invited elders of the Mehsud tribe nor elders from other tribal region to attend the APC.
Malik Haji Mohammad Mehsud on Wednesday said that convening APC for the restoration of peace in the country and paving way to hold peace talks with the Taliban is a welcome move of the JUI-F chief but questioned that how traditional tribal Jirga could be framed to hold talks with the Taliban when elders of the tribal region are not being invited to attend the APC.
Malik Mohammad Mehsud said that Fazlur Rahman claimed that declaration of tribal Jirga, held under the auspicious of JUI-F in December last year in Peshawar would be put before the participants of the APC, adding that December tribal Jirga was actually convened to discuss the current status of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Mehsud said that tribal Jirga of Peshawar was not convened to evolve consensus for holding peace talks with the Taliban.
"Only a few favourite tribesmen of the JUI-F chief have been invited to attend the APC," Haji Mohammad said, adding that few tribesmen couldn't represent the whole tribal region. Former federal minister Malik Abdul Qayyum Mehsud said that when JUI-F chief neither invited him nor prominent Maliks and elders of the Mehsud tribe including Malik Inayat, Malik Sadram, Malik Mehsud, Malik Karam Ali Khan and others then how traditional tribal Jirga could be constituted to held talks with the Taliban.
Abdul Qayyum said that convening of APC is good for political point scoring and getting space in media, adding that first chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) held peace rally for restoration of peace in the tribal belt then Fazlur Rahman convened tribal Jirga in Peshawar. Watching the development, Awami National Party (ANP) at the end of their tenure convened APC in Islamabad and in tit-for tat JUI-F chief also convened APC to evolve consensus for holding talks with the Taliban. Abdul Qayyum said that neither effort of any political parties got success in restoring peace in the tribal region, adding that convening of APC by JUI-F chief is an effort to achieve political goals.