Afghan Consul General in Peshawar Abdul Khaliq Farahi has assured a tribal jirga (elders) to secure the release of seven tribesmen held in Kabul, if found innocent. The assurance was given in a meeting between the envoy and a 15-member jirga of Zakhakhel tribe of the Khyber Agency, headed by Darya Khan Zakhakhel at the Afghan consulate. The Zakhakhel tribesmen had twice captured Pak-Afghan friendship bus in Khyber Agency along with passengers and demanded the release of their relatives from Afghan jail after being arrested by the security forces in Owathkhel, located on the outskirts of Afghan capital. However, after the assurances by the Afghan and Pakistani authorities, the tribesmen released the bus and passengers. The jirga expressed concern over the arrest of tribesmen and told the envoy that the arrested men were innocent. We consider Afghanistan as our second country, as we have common cultural and traditional values, Darya told the meeting. Farahi assured the tribal jirga that he would talk to the foreign ministry in Kabul about the release of seven tribesmen if found innocent. He said police of both the countries often arrested people on suspicion. Afghanistan has cordial relations with Pakistan, particularly with the tribal people as the tribesmen are playing a key role in the development of the war-ravaged country by carrying out business activities, the Afghan consul general said. Afghan police arrested seven tribesmen a month ago. They included Sher Wali, Sharif Khan, Tawab Shah, Karim Khan, Sahib, Israr and Muzallif Shah, who had went to Afghanistan with oil tankers.
