By Abdul Rahman Malik, They go on a massive scale and target any person such as old, Young or grown up in the fire of revenge and vengeance.Tribal Clashes in the parts of Baluchistan and Sindh bring miseries and destruction as warring tribes go on Killing Spree and do not stop until they equal the numbers.
Tribal clashes create several economic and social problems that compel the tribes to adopt criminal activities for instance dacoities, mobile snatching, motorbike snatching and stealing in the rural areas where police patrolling is not available.
This is obviously the great game of Sardars and politicians to incite the tribes to fight to settle their dispute. The disputes starting from trivial matters such as water share, agro field, grazing of animals in somebody’s farmlands, marriage, illicit relations and Karo Kari (honour Killings).
These tribal feuds have already swallowed thousands of innocent lives since our judicial structure has failed to provide relief and people look for traditional jirga system conducted by these Tribal chiefs and Chief Sardars.
Even, the jirgas decisions are almost unjustified and women are given in exchange to settle the disputes since these Tribal verdicts are binding on both parties.
The sardars running these jirgas as lucrative business and maintain their tribal grip over the people whose votes make their way to the assemblies and Parliament.
Sindh, Baluchistan, KP and Punjab are embedded in the Feudal fabric that is controlling the social, cultural and political arena of these provinces.
The British had conferred various titles to these feudal due to their allegiance to the British Empire. The British conferred lands, properties to them along with various titles that still exist in today’s Pakistan.
The titles such as sardars, Mirs, Nawab, Khan Bahadur, rais and Muqdum are still practised. Actually, there were some princely states which were classified as Salute and Non-salute states.
These states were controlled indirectly by British India. The examples include Bahawalpur, Khairpur, Makran, Kalat etc.
Since, these titles are ruling and controlling Sindh, Baluchistan and Punjab for seven decades having the stronghold in these areas especially socially, economically and politically.
There are several tribes who are traditionally holding hereditary Turban (pug) of Tribal chief and control their community and the bunch of other communities.
In Baluchistan, the most active Sardari tribes are Bugti, Marri, Mengal, Bizenjo, Jamali, Magsi and Rind, In Sindh Sundrani, Bijarani, Mahar, Chandio, Mazari, Lund, Pitafi, Arbabs, Khoso, Chachar, Teghani, Jatoi, Bhayo and Shar Tribes. Even, the Syed tribes rule the roost in Sindh for several decades, the hot seat of CM falls in their domain.
The heads of these tribal chiefs are autocratic princes and have totalitarian control over the people of their tribes and enjoy the full might in their respective areas.
Especially, Sundrani, Bijarani, Mahar and Chandio Tribal chiefs control the maximum number of tribes in Sindh whereas Rind, Marri, Bugti and Mengal Tribes control most of the Baloch tribes in Baluchistan.
Their control can be assessed on the following point that no one can have even matrimonial proposal without their consent and their word is just the decision like the line on Stone.
Since it is admitted truth owing weak and delayed justice system in place, the jirgas play a vital role to settle the bloody feuds among the communities and serve as the solution to complex issues like murders since one cannot find such solutions through legal procedures-ie the courts.
Therefore, the tribesmen always opt for the Jirgas to settle disputes of any period, and after jirga, the parties become friendly and exchange good wishes.
However, these jirgas delegate infinite powers to the arbitrator (Tribal Chief) when some decisions are surprising and Illogical, but the communities cannot oppose the settlement since it may jeopardize innocent lives. So, they sip the poison and accept the settlement as the compromise.
The Jirga process is very slow since it is not held in just single attempt as both warring tribes must agree to end the dispute. Sometimes, the tribes restart their clash soon after the settlement and pursue the killing spree owing to some annoyed groups.
The women especially the girls bear the brunt of these tribal clashes as unmarried Girls are exchanged in marriage to the tribes as compensation of the murder.
Thus making their lives miserable as the family members treat her as the daughter of the enemy and resort to domestic torture and violence against her. Consequently, the innocent girls become the victims of these tribal Jirgas held by the tribal chiefs and sardars.
The students are also the victims of these tribal clashes since their schooling is affected amid fear of attack if they went to school, the enemies may target these students. Such incidents happened several times due to these bloody tribal clashes.
In a recent incident of Tribal clash between the Teghani and Bijarani tribes, two innocent students of matriculation were killed who were prepared to appear in the exam this month of March but unfortunate death clasped them ahead of their exam.
It is also ironic that a 70-year-old man got head bullets when he was riding his donkey cart to work for the livelihood to feed his minor children and especially his wife who was waiting to receive vegetables to cook for the dinner. She was not aware that she would get the dead body of her life partner instead of vegetables and rightful earnings.
One incident still revolves in my mind and the people around us when 30 innocent lives were lost in exchange of fire between two tribes owing to a trivial issue of illegal grazing of the cow in the field. This happened due to illiteracy and free use of sophisticated weapons.
This was the biggest example of barbarism and killing spree. Thirty lives in a day including man, women and children, it is not humanity but a blatant display of barbaric act .
Since, there is no legislation against such brutal murders of an innocent person whose only guilt was that they just belonged to these tribes, not even the blood relations just only the same caste.
The role of Police is very dismal rather dubious since, in broad daylight, these armed goons come in the city and start indiscriminate firing and police as usual reaches late providing almost license to kill the innocent people and busy in grabbing money.
The open display of sophisticated weapons heralds that how these communities manage to purchase such imported guns, pistols and even rocket launchers when their purchase requires official approval and some are illegally possessed by the warring tribes on the excuse of tribal clash and safety.
In some cases, the police become the abettor in such heinous crimes and even take monetary benefits from those who intend to attack their opposite tribes.
The Government is clueless about these incidents or deliberately avoids legislation against these butcheries of humans by humans since the most of MPA’s and MNA’s are tribal chiefs themselves and they will never legislate against these crimes as they are well aware that legislation against these tribal disputes means curtailing their powers and monetary loss for them.
It is high time that civil society, legal fraternity, writers, human rights defenders must come forward to stop this massacre in the name tribal disputes and Supreme Court of Pakistan must take notice of these cold-blooded murders of people.
Thousands of precious lives are lost due to some small differences that tarnish the image of civilized nations. We are a peaceful nation and should resolve the issues peacefully rather than take innocent lives.
The Government should ban the jirgas completely and all murders under the guise of Honour Killings and Tribal disputes should be treated as murder against humanity and must be awarded exemplary punishments. Even Government should stop issuing licenses to civilians and start a disarmament drive to retrieve weapons from the public and de-escalate the situation between the tribes.
The civil society must create awareness against these tribal disputes and promote love and harmony among the communities so that they may settle their differences peacefully and never engage in fighting and precious human lives could be saved especially the students.