Jirga seeks to broker peace deal

By Barbara Plett
BBC News, Islamabad

The council will include tribal leaders as well as clerics

A grand tribal jirga (council) in Pakistan is trying to broker a peace deal with pro-Taleban militants.

The 45 member council began its work in the tribal area of North Waziristan, which has seen fierce fighting over the past year.

Observers have called the formation of the jirga the most significant step taken by the government so far to try and resolve the conflict peacefully.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting.

The move to hold peace talks through a tribal council has been endorsed by President Pervez Musharraf.

The government has given the council full authority to negotiate and it will seek the same backing from the militants.

Changed strategy

Among other things the tribesmen are demanding that prisoners be freed and that the army decrease its presence in North Waziristan.

The government wants the militants to stop attacking Pakistani troops, to end infiltration into nearby Afghanistan and to expel foreign fighters.

The area has seen fierce fighting this year

Meeting these conditions could be difficult, as the Taleban has support on both sides of the border.

Observers say the creation of the jirga essentially recognises the power of the militants and is an implicit admission that the government's military strategy has failed.

They say it is a significant step by the government, which has gone to considerable effort to ensure that various stake holders are on board.

Hope raised

The tribesmen too, have shown willingness to compromise, by largely observing a one month unilateral ceasefire. The jirga will try to get them to extend it before entering negotiations on a deal.

The council includes leading tribal elders and religious clerics as well as parliamentarians.

The power of the elders and of the local political administration has been severely weakened in recent years.

This is due to the dominance of army operations and the rise of a new Islamic leadership that models itself on the Taleban.

But Islamist political parties with some influence in the tribal areas have thrown their weight behind the jirga, and observers say that may increase its chances of success.